


Crowned

by cheese_rings



Category: K-pop, The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Modern Royalty, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheese_rings/pseuds/cheese_rings
Summary: Due to his kingdom facing some issues, Prince Juyeon went into hiding in another country as a 'normal' college student. He thought he was good at keeping secrets, but then his apartment neighbor Chanhee knocks on his door, holding a familiar-looking crown."This is yours, right?"
Relationships: Choi Chanhee | New/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 52
Kudos: 187





	1. Prologue

_The sound of blaring alarms rang red and wild in Juyeon’s ears. Hyunjae was urging him to keep running, though his voice was muted out by the chaotic loudness. Juyeon had little idea why they were fleeing, but the little information Sangyeon had told him was enough for Juyeon to feel afraid. He was only told what was necessary for him to survive, nothing more nor less._

_Fear is a funny thing. It has a large shadow for such a puny thing that exists only in the mind. Juyeon grew up being told that fear was merely a state of the mind, easily overcome by molding your thoughts into something else—yet, at that very moment… Fear was paralyzing._

_Juyeon’s legs were working well, bringing him away from the noisy void. His mind was a different story though; frozen and stuck on the words, ‘_ Run or the kingdom will fall’ _. What of his parents? What of Hyunjae? Sangyeon? What of his subjects?_

_“Get in.” Hyunjae’s voice was loud and clear, pushing Juyeon into an inconspicuous black SUV. Juyeon knew it was armored, bullet-proof, and possibly the safest vehicle in the country, but he still hesitated, turning to face his half-brother in confusion. He couldn’t just be left alone, right?_

_“Hyung, what about you?”_

_“I’ll meet up with you soon, Ju.” Hyunjae promised. “They don’t care about Sangyeon-hyung or I. You are their target, baby brother. You must survive.”_

_“Hyung, what do I even do?” Juyeon sounded desperate, even to his own ears. He grabbed the older by the shoulders, terrified. “Where am I going? What am I going to do?”_

_Hyunjae pried Juyeon’s cold fingers off him. “You’ll know when you get there. Juyeon, you must stay as hidden as possible. No matter what happens, you—Fuck. Get in! Juyeon, get in!”_

_He was pushed inside the car, which immediately sped away. Juyeon clambered up to the window, desperate to catch a glimpse of what was happening, but Hyunjae was gone—already back into the void that Juyeon may never see again._

_‘_ You are the crown prince. Remember our family’s words, Juyeon. _’_

_Steady and strong._

_Juyeon steeled himself. He sat up properly, wiping the tears that have escaped from his eyes. Taking a map from the seat compartment, Juyeon willed himself to calm down. There was no use panicking when his orders were clear: Hide._

_Well then… hide, he will._


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chanhee makes too much lasagna and Juyeon wants to go home.

When Chanhee snapped out of his breakdown-induced cooking session, he looked up in horror from the plastic spatula in his hand. In front of him, placed neatly in disposable plastic containers, was enough lasagna to feed the apartment complex.

That meant he just went through his entire month’s supply of groceries.

With a defeated sigh, Chanhee loaded his dishes into the washer, wondering how he’ll dispose of the ton of lasagna he just made. Changmin would definitely eat half of them, so Chanhee set some aside for his bestfriend. _Younghoonie-hyung! He likes my cooking!_ Chanhee beamed, setting another portion aside.

He kept ticking off his friends in his mind, labelling the containers with tape and a marker, until he was down to one. Chanhee had no idea what to do with it; he didn’t have many friends and what friends he had already were taken care of—who else would benefit of his precious lasagna?

_The new guy._ A small voice tugged at Chanhee’s ears from the dark part of his mind. _You remember, right? That new guy you couldn’t stop oggling when he first arrived? He was carrying a small bag, that was it… weird, huh?_

The next thing he knew, Chanhee was standing in front of said neighbor’s apartment door. The door was plain, not decorated with even just a smidge of Halloween décor compared to the other doors on their floor. Chanhee’s door was _decked_ , for fuck’s sake!

“Hi!”

Chanhee’s cheeks hurt from how big and wide his smile was, and he trembled to keep it that way; especially since he would have had his jaw on the floor if he stopped straining. His new neighbor was of godly good looks—slanted, foxy eyes and a handsome nose pointing downwards and commanding attention towards his plump lips.

Chanhee wondered if it was rude to stare at someone’s lips instead of their eyes. Maybe he should look away. That was the courteous course of action, right? Still, he couldn’t bring himself to look away—not when the neighbor’s lips were right inline with Chanhee’s eyes.

“Hello? Do you need something?”

“Uh, sorry! I just made a _lot_ of lasagna, and I wondered if you would like some?” Chanhee tried his best to not stammer and falter, though to be honest, he probably looked pretty constipated in front of such a cute person. “It’s not poisoned, I promise!”

_Great, why did I have to add that?_ Chanhee inwardly let out a groan of distress. Why was he acting like such he had no experience with cute boys? Younghoon was one—Changmin was another… his friends were all cute and Chanhee had had a crush on all of them for at least five minutes… so why was he acting so shy and awkward?

“I would accept it, but I don’t even know who you are.” The neighbor said, matter-of-factly.

“Oh! Right, my name is Choi Chanhee. I study statistics at the Uni.”

The neighbor’s lips twitched upwards at that. “Statistics, really? You must have a really big brain, then.”

“No, I um…” _Quick, Chanhee. Defend yourself._ “Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd.”

“Cute. My name’s Juyeon.” Chanhee perked up at the progress he was making. “I’m taking physics.”

It was Chanhee turn to smirk. “ _Nerd._ ”

Juyeon shrugged, unfazed. “I know. It’s one of the harder subjects, I guess. Not as hard as statistics, of course—I can never imagine competing with your big brain, Chanhee-ssi.”

“Just _Chanhee_ is fine, Juyeon.” Chanhee thrusted the plastic container towards Juyeon, smiling effortlessly and genuinely this time. “I would love to stay and chat in front of your _very_ decorated door, but I have a problem set to solve. The reason why I have so much lasagna is because I had a breakdown while doing said problem set and I decided to de-stress and cook.”

“Okay, _just-Chanhee_. Thank you for the food.” Juyeon took the container, and Chanhee noted how huge and warm Juyeon’s hands were from where they accidentally touched when handing the plasticware over. “Goodluck on your problem set, let me know if I can help. I probably wouldn’t be able to, but at least I offered, right?”

“Please, you’re just looking for an excuse to talk to me again.”

“That too.” Juyeon laughed. “It’s nice talking to you, Chanhee.”

“You too, Juyeon.”

* * *

Changmin sprawled himself all over Chanhee’s sofa as if he owned it, munching on cheese balls and getting orange crumbs all over the throw pillows. “You _talked_ to him? That’s amazing! Kevin and I live on the same floor and go out more than you but everytime we see him, this Juyeon guy just turns his head and walks into his room.”

“Maybe it’s because you always look like you’re about to bite someone’s head off, Changmin—could you please not get crumbs on my pillows?” Chanhee complained, not looking up from the floor where he was doing his problem set.

“And he called you _cute_?”

“Yes, he did—Changmin, get off the couch if you’re just gonna spread crumbs all over it!”

“That is so _weird_.” Changmin pretended to not hear Chanhee’s nagging. “I swear that guy ignored me when I tried to talk to him in the elevator once. Kevin actually agreed with me that the guy was kinda rude, but the way you described him—obvious crush aside—this Juyeon dude sounds cool.”

Chanhee pointed a pencil at the younger, a warning with eyebrows scrunched. “Firstly, I do not have a crush on Juyeon. Secondly, you’re not getting any lasagna with the way you’re inviting ants all over my couch. Get out of here.”

Changmin paused, a cheeseball midway to his mouth. He looked at Chanhee with a face mixed of betrayal and disbelief. “Are you withholding food from me?” his voice was small, and maybe Chanhee was already regretting his words, but deep inside, he knew Changmin was just acting hurt.

“Clean the sofa or you won’t get lasagna.”

That sent the younger into a frenzy, bringing out the broom and a dustpan from the kitchen. Chanhee shook his head at Changmin’s actions and went back to his problem set. It was already done, though Chanhee knew he wasn’t gonna get a perfect score, but whatever. His thoughts drifted back to Juyeon.

_A crush is an infatuation on someone. What’s an infatuation?_ Chanhee tried to make sense of the current situation. _Infatuation is an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone. How am I calling this short-lived? I’ve literally met him like, 4 hours ago. How short is short-lived? Am I judge enough to determine the extent of time?_

When Chanhee overthinks, he tends to space out, mind flying out of its cage and looking for a new home in the non-existent tree tops outside his apartment complex.

_Yes, Juyeon is cute. Very cute. Smells good, that’s important. He seems like the type of guy who knows how to wash his face; and not just with water! He also dresses warmly, so that’s nice and cuddly! Especially that burgundy sweater, god that seemed so expensive—what the hell am I thinking?_

Chanhee threw his pencil down, startling Changmin. “What the _fuck_ , Hee?”

“Shh! I’m thinking!”

“Can I have my lasagna now?”

“Fridge.”

Changmin screeched in joy, knocking Chanhee’s train of thoughts off the tracks. The older flashed him with a look of complete annoyance before sighing and getting up from the floor to stretch and try grabbing back his mind that flew away.

_I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if it’ll go away_.

* * *

_“Hyung? Is everything okay?”_

_“They’ve set up a mock government, Ju. We barely managed to get mother and father out of the country as well—Sangyeon is staying as the puppet king, but Ju… you need to stay there. I can feel your agitation. You need to calm down.”_

_“Hyunjae-hyung—“_

_“Sangyeon-hyung and I will be fine, Juyeon. They can’t touch us. You, on the other hand.. if they manage to find out where you are and kill you, the kingdom is doomed. While you’re alive and safe, there is a future left for us all.”_

_Juyeon nodded, gritting his teeth even though Hyunjae couldn’t see it as they were only calling._

_“You can do it, baby brother.”_

_“Hyung, it’s just… it's so lonely.”_

_There was silence on the other line, and Juyeon wondered if he was allowed to complain. After all, Hyunjae and Sangyeon were right in the middle of the chaos while he was safe. Alone, yes, but safe._

_“I know it is, Ju.” Hyunjae sounded sad too. “We miss you. I miss you.”_

_“I want to go home, hyung.” Juyeon almost sobbed. “I want to go home. I want to play basketball with you and Sangyeon-hyung and eat dinner together and run from the castle to the woods in the afternoon. Hyung—“_

_“You can’t. I’m so sorry, Juyeon. This is the only way we can all survive.”_

_Juyeon took a deep breath. “I know, hyung.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I was not expecting the support coming from everyone ;-; Thank you so much for reading so far and I hope I don't disappoint with the story!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon and Chanhee meet at the library and talk.

Juyeon had no idea how he ended up in the History section of the library, but he figured he should make the most out of his disassociating. Placing his bookbag on a table, Juyeon carefully navigated the tall bookshelves looking for his kingdom’s history.

_His kingdom._ Juyeon inwardly sighed at the thought. It _is_ his. His birthright, his responsibility, his reward. Still, with how he ran away, was he still the crown prince his people loved? _What kind of ruler would leave his subjects at such a grievous time?_

_“A smart one.” Sangyeon would say._

“A cowardly one.” Juyeon muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sangyeon would tell him that what he’s feeling is only a young ruler’s bloodlust, a thirst for action and a way to prove himself capable of ruling and deserving of an honor to rule a kingdom.

_“But you don’t need to prove yourself, baby brother. The people know. They will patiently await for your return, for they trust and love you. Remember that, Juyeon. You are loved and respected. There is no need to endanger yourself.”_ _Hyunjae would say._ Juyeon could hear his brothers’ gentle scolding so clearly, it was as if they were there with him.

Juyeon has lived his entire life surrounded by people and laughter and love. Having to move and hide in loneliness, it was a complete turn and Juyeon also had to do it _alone_. Granted, he had also been raised with the idea that should things go bad, he would have to force himself into an exile, but learning the concept is different from applying it.

He would fall asleep very late at night, just staring at the window and wishing his brain would shut up. If he’d close his eyes, would he be back at his kingdom? Would all of the bad things go away?

“Hey, Juyeon, right?”

“…Chanhee. Yes, I remember.” Juyeon forced out a laugh, feeling awkward as his neighbor had caught him spacing out in front of a bookshelf. “Fancy seeing you in this section, Mr. Statistics Major.”

“I’m just helping a friend look for something. What about you, Mr. Physics?” Chanhee looked amazing as always, Juyeon noted. Chanhee always dressed cutely and comfortably, in oversized pastels or muted colors, his hair styled and cheeks rogued with pink. Not that Juyeon was paying attention—he just happened to always somehow open his door when Chanhee was closing his.

Juyeon wondered if it was okay for him to have a crush. Or something more?

Why was he thinking of that?

“Just a hobby.” Juyeon cleared his throat, finally spotting an old, hard-covered leather book. He carefully took it out, dusting it carefully. The lack of care for his kingdom’s history disgusted him a little, but considering the direness of their situation for now, maybe it was best if they remained incognito for a while.

“ _Cavenia_? Interesting. What’s that?” Chanhee peered over Juyeon’s shoulder.

Juyeon bristled at Chanhee’s sudden proximity, but also quickly relaxed. Chanhee was the epitome of _no harm_ , Juyeon thought. He once watched, through a small creak from his door, Chanhee bring home a box of puppies to foster. Granted, the pups were too noisy for that entire week, but Juyeon also watched Chanhee finally give the healthy puppies back while crying a little after two weeks.

To Juyeon, that act was enough to certify that Chanhee’s heart was made of gold. He could never hurt Juyeon.

“It’s a mighty kingdom from the South. They still have a monarchy, and a ruling one at that, not just a constitutional monarchy. They control the trade routes of the continent to and from the Posteria Sea.” Juyeon explained, smiling. “They have the largest mines in the world, thus making them the richest.”

“You sound like you know a lot.” Chanhee smiled.

“It’s a hobby.”

“That’s a very nice hobby. Cavenia sounds like a fun place. Is it beautiful there?”

Juyeon couldn’t help the smile on his face as he answerd, “It’s heaven on earth. There aren’t any beaches because the shores are used as docks, but the forests are maintained even though the mining is extensive. Walking in the forests is safe and romantic, even. The skies are always clear and the air is so clean because Mount Tor is blocking the pollution from here.”

“Oh.” Chanhee tilted his head to one side, as if in deep thought. “Are you from there, Juyeon?”

“Yes.” Juyeon was quick to reply. _Fuck._ “I was born there. We moved here not very long ago.”

Juyeon wondered why he couldn’t just lie to Chanhee. He had a backstory already made up in his mind—he was born in the North, lived there all his life, went to Central Bonburg to study at university. Granted, he still hasn’t told anyone about it since he avoided people all the time, but Chanhee…

Chanhee was effortlessly breaking his walls down so much faster than Juyeon could build them, it was exhilirating and almost terrifying that someone could have that much power over anyone.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to shut the other man off. It was like Chanhee was a breathe of fresh air, Juyeon’s salvation from the suffocating box he had entered ever since leaving Cavenia.

“That’s so cool! I’m from the East, so it’s all industrial stuff there. It’s the metropolitan center of the continent, so I guess it’s supposed to be all gray and concrete sky scrapers. It’s always so loud too!” Chanhee sighed, lips forming a very kissable red pout. “You can always hear construction going deep into the night, no matter how high your apartment is. It sucks.”

“It does sound very chaotic.” Juyeon beamed, all previous nervousness gone from Chanhee sharing his own experiences. “I wouldn’t want to live there.”

“To be fair, the salary is high if you live there.” Chanhee laughed. “Statistically speaking.”

“I bet life expectancy is low too, huh?”

Chanhee chuckled, hiding his grin behind a dainty hand. “Hey, that’s a dark joke!”

“You’re laughing.” Juyeon pointed out, poking Chanhee’s cheek. “I need to go, Chanhee. I’ll check this book out and go to class. See you around?”

“Have fun in class!” Chanhee cheerily teased.

“Oh, now, that’s just mean.”

“See you around, Juyeon.”

* * *

**[AN EXCERPT FROM CAVENIA: A HISTORY OF WONDER]**

**Named after the numerous and extensive, rich cave systems in the kingdom, Cavenia remains to be one of the only three countries left in the world to be ruled by an active monarch family. In Cavenia, the monarchy is directly descended from Lee Jongsuk the Great in the 1500s, when he led an expedition and striked gold at what is now the site of the largest palace in Cavenia: The Gem Tower.**

**A conflict once arose in the mid 1800s concerning a claim by a man named Lee Kyungwoo. Kyungwoo claimed to be the oldest son of then King Hangyul, thus having the right to inherit the throne. Though thwarted, it is said that Kyungwoo has had a loyal following dedicated to bringing his descendants to the throne and destroy the Lee Monarchy line once and for all.**

* * *

Juyeon closed the book with a little more force than necessary. He also debated throwing it to the floor, but figured that it wasn’t the book’s fault that such was written on it. The story of the first illegitimate Lee child was no secret, and Sangyeon and Hyunjae were illegitimate as well, though they pledged loyalty to Juyeon only.

If it was true, then it was Lee Kyungwoo’s relatives who were behind the attempted murders and the destruction of the Cavenian Lee Monarchy.

Juyeon had no doubt Hyunjae and Sangyeon already know, and it hurt him to realize just how much burden his brothers were carrying just to keep Juyeon safe and oblivious. Did they not think Juyeon would just randomly pick up a history book and learn?

He was tempted to call Hyunjae, then remembered his brother’s stern warning to not call him first as they may get tapped and Juyeon’s location would be revealed.

Out of options to ease the bubbling resentment, anger, and anxiety in his throat, Juyeon started to pace his entire apartment, following a well-worn line that he always paced on whenever he was feeling a little too much. It used to help, but right there, all it was doing was agitate Juyeon even more.

Desperate to be able to breathe, Juyeon yanked his main door open.

Chanhee was at his own door, struggling to open it with two cloth bags full of groceries. Juyeon thought Chanhee might have went shopping because he used everything up on making the delicious lasagna that Juyeon had very quickly finished.

“Need help?” Juyeon found himself asking.

“Oh my god, yes please! My arms are dead.” Chanhee pleaded, out of breathe.

Juyeon took the groceries and waited as Chanhee fished his key out. He was breathing fine.

With a shy look, Chanhee turned to face him. “Wanna come inside?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some backstory revealed! Also, I beta my own stories, so if something seems off or wrong, please let me know in the comments. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! The support so far is so nice :D


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon and Chanhee attempt to clean Juyeon's apartment.

Chanhee has never really let anyone into his apartment aside from his friends—partly because he didn’t want his stuff to be moved, but also because he might get murdered and Chanhee didn’t really want that. His friends were the exception, but he didn’t have that many either. His most regular visitors would be Sunwoo, Changmin, Younghoon, and Jacob… that’s already four out of his six friends.

But sitting there on the island counter beside Juyeon, Chanhee wondered why he was so quick to let the other man in. Perhaps it was because Juyeon looked so stressed earlier?

“Why do you have a lot of groceries? Do you have a roommate?” Juyeon asked.

“Oh, no. No, no.” Chanhee awkwardly scratched his neck. “I eat a lot… and if you can recall, I make a lot of food too.”

“You have a lot of stuff but it all seems so organized.” Juyeon then commented, looking around while spinning on the chair. “I have a few boxes left to open, but I’m kind of nervous opening them as the stuff I have opened have covered my apartment messily.”

“I can help you clean up.”

Juyeon reddened. “What? No, there’s no—“

“You need help.” Chanhee insisted, rolling his eyes. “Besides, consider it a thank you for helping me bring my groceries in.”

“Not today, though.” Juyeon amended, scratching his neck. “I have homework.”

In truth, he needed to do a little bit of cleaning up by himself: hiding important documents, the photos he managed to smuggle along, and most importantly, his crown. Hyunjae had thrown it into the bag Juyeon was carrying before they fled, stating that it was the most precious thing Juyeon could ever take from the country.

Without the crown, Cavenia had no ruler. If the crown falls into the wrong hands, the Lee Monarchy and their loyal subjects are just doomed. Juyeon _had_ to take it with him, protect it with everything he’s got except for his life, because _what use is a crown without a head to put it on_?

Even if Juyeon trusted his gut feeling that Chanhee is innocent, too innocent, he couldn’t risk the present and the future of Cavenia.

“This weekend, then? I’m not the best cook but I can cook a nice dish from Cavenia.” Juyeon offered as Chanhee walked him back to the door. “It’s a simple noodle dish, but it has a secret way of being cooked so it tastes so much better than just the original.”

“I’m flattered to be able to eat that! I’m actually salivating just thinking of food right now.” Chanhee laughed. “See you, Juyeon. Thank you for your help.”

Juyeon had a smile on his face until he arrived at his own apartment, grin immediately gone as the cold loneliness of his apartment flooded his veins again and replaced Chanhee’s light giggles. It was almost as if you could see the drastic shift of mood from one place to the other.

His crown was hidden under his bed, perhaps not the best hiding place for something as precious, but Juyeon was too depressed to move and clean when he arrived. He carefully took it, feeling the freezing metal and jewels heavy in his hands, and faced the mirror.

Slowly, Juyeon placed the golden crown on his head.

Slowly, a tear made its way down his cheeks, rolling down and falling off his chin.

He did not look like a ruler. He did not look like a prince.

Juyeon looked like a child—a lost, lonely boy with a severely oversized and overweight crown bringing him down with the earth ready to swallow him whole. Pride was replaced by fear. It was evident in his eyes amidst the lack of light in the room. Fear was making him glow and go dim at the same time.

Fear was choking him, haunting Juyeon down like a hunter chases its prey.

In the shadows, Juyeon could see a formless matter growing slowly until it took shape of a tall man. He had no features nor anything else other than darkness, yet his inky hands stretched out towards Juyeon with a cold hiss. _You’re a coward. Not worthy to be a king…_

Juyeon hurried to switch the light on, immediately looking back at the corner where his fear had taken shape and tried to get to him.

There was nothing.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the mirror again, not with the crown still feeling unsure on his head. Juyeon used to feel powerful whenever the golden accessory was placed upon his head; he’d used to hold his chin up and feel like he was the worthiest in all of the land to rule… but there, in the quiet torture of his apartment, Juyeon became unsure for the first time.

People could be dying because of him, and Juyeon was _hiding_. It did not feel right in any way at all. Shouldn’t a ruler be with his people, to fight for and by them?

_“You’re an idiot.”_ He could hear Sangyeon saying. “ _Juyeon, you’re the only king Cavenia will ever have in our generation. Your blood will continue to rule after you. Don’t think too much on things that are not set in stone, because you might be the one etching them onto history._ ”

“You’re right, hyung.” Juyeon stood up tall again, facing his reflection right in the eye. He fixed the crown on his head, setting it on center from where it almost fell off. “I am Prince Juyeon of Cavenia, and I am the _only_ one who will rule _my_ kingdom.”

“Wow, you were not joking when you said your apartment was messy.” Chanhee’s first words when Juyeon shyly let him into the place were treading bordeline amazed, but Juyeon simply shrugged. “Did you even bother cleaning since you arrived? Like, at all?”

“You can still back out.” Juyeon told him, still holding the door open.

“What? No, Juyeon! See, I’m already three steps in.” Chanhee gestured to his feet. “I’m stuck to suffer in here, oh—“ he suddenly sank to his knees, feigning a heart attack. “Juyeon-ah, please! Help me! I’m—Aack!”

Chanhee’s playfulness had Juyeon laughing and acting along, motioning to cradle Chanhee’s head as the younger lay still ‘dead’. “Chanhee, no! No, precious, happy Chanhee! Who will help me clean my mess of an apartment now? Oh, Hades, how do I bring Chanhee back?”

There was silence for a moment before Juyeon leaned in suddenly, exactly at the moment Chanhee’s eyes fluttered open. Chanhee shrieked in surprise, startling Juyeon, who leaned back suddenly and hit his head on a low wooden shelf.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Chanhee didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he for sure was blushing a deep red. Their previous physical proximity surprised him—he knew he was definitely attracted to Juyeon ( _but don’t tell Changmin that he’s right,_ again); Changmin and Kevin also speculated that Juyeon might like Chanhee back too—but he wasn’t prepared for things to go _that_ fast.

“I think that impact just dislodged the few trusty braincells I’ve had left.” Juyeon tried to joke amidst the pain.

“I’ll get you some ice. Can you get up? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have startled you like that.” Chanhee caught onto Juyeon’s arms when the taller man tried to stand, helping him up.

“Don’t apologize, it’s okay.” Juyeon smiled at him, liptails curling up cutely. “Imagine if you didn’t open your eyes, though. I wonder what could’ve happened then, Chanhee. What do you think?”

Chanhee looked away, ears red. “I think the next time you attempt something like that, you should make sure my eyes are open!” he let go for a moment to get the ice from the fridge, wrapping it with his handkerchief before pressing it onto Juyeon’s nape. “What’s that look for?”

Juyeon was still smiling at him, albeit softly. His eyes crinkled like two, dark crescent moons shining light into the apartment. “You’re so cute.” Juyeon said, pinching both of Chanhee’s cheeks. He made sure to only lightly do so, as the skin felt soft and easy to bruise. “I’m fine, Chanhee. Don’t worry too much.”

“Why do you keep saying I’m cute?” Chanhee asked, struggling with his cheeks still held hostage.

“Because you are, Chanhee.” Juyeon said, matter-of-factly. He released his hold on Chanhee’s face, still smiling and feeling giddy. “So, are we still going to clean my apartment and eat noodles or have you changed your mind?”

Chanhee placed the ignored makeshift cold compress on the table, pulling out the nearby apron on the wall and wearing it. He gave Juyeon a determined expression, replying with, “Let’s go do this! I want my rice noodles, Lee Juyeon!”

“Hey,” Juyeon suddenly turned serious, catching Chanhee’s wrist. “You really should be careful.”

“Huh?” Chanhee blinked, confused. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“If you keep being like that, I might just fall for you, Choi Chanhee.”


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon's apartment is broken in.

Juyeon was having a great day—right up until he went home and found his apartment ransacked, the décor and neat organizing he and Chanhee did a week earlier, all gone and on the floor. Of course, the first thing Juyeon checked was his crown, and it was tucked safe where he last hid it.

He contacted the front desk, reporting the break in with the calmest voice he could muster.

“ _We’ll send someone up to investigate, sir. We apologize for this slip up. Was anything of value taken?_ ”

“No.” Juyeon breathed out, moving around his apartment. There was nothing missing that seemed obvious, but everything was haphazardly thrown on the floor… it’s almost feeling like a warning. “No, nothing’s taken. Please check the CCTV footage.”

“ _We are currently reviewing it sir. We’ll report back immediately._ ”

“Thank you.” Juyeon hung up, sitting down on his couch, head in hands. He tried to steady his breathing, to think through the stress eating him up. _Who could have broken in? How did they find Juyeon? What was their goal? Was it just a scare tactic, or something worse?_

_Was he in imminent danger?_

_What about Chanhee?_

Juyeon associating with anyone could become potentially dangerous, as they either might be the assassins posing as friendly nobodies or they might get killed to get information on Juyeon. It was a risk Juyeon wasn’t willing to take—until Chanhee walked towards his door with a container full of lasagna.

It was a selfish decision, Juyeon knew. He reasoned that he was only lonely, so he sought companionship in the next friendly smile thrown in his direction.

His selfishness could potentially put Chanhee in danger.

_I can’t let that happen._ Juyeon exhaled shakilly, taking his phone out again to scroll through his limited saved contacts. He tapped on Chanhee’s number, thumb hovering over the **Delete Contact** button for a good minute before he closed his eyes and tapped lightly. He doubted it would do anything considering Juyeon had already memorized Chanhee’s number.

_If only it were that easy to take someone out of one’s life and memories_ , Juyeon mused. _If only it were that easy to remove anything at all; just a simple tap and 5 seconds._

Juyeon also contemplated texting his brothers about the attack, but bit his tongue back and caught his own hand. Hyunjae and Sangyeon had enough on their own plates to worry about. Juyeon can handle—and maybe even solve—this puzzle on his own.

Security came later, bringing surveillance tapes with them.

Two masked men were seen picking the lock to Juyeon’s apartment at around 11 am, when Juyeon was in a class in the University. The timing made Juyeon think that the perpetrators already know his schedule and purposely pulled the crime at a time when he would be out.

“We’ve checked the cameras at the entrance as well.” The chief of security bowed. “The men weren’t wearing masks when they came in through the entrance, and they also broke the elevator’s security camera. We are currently trying to retrieve the memory in the elevator, but we suspect that they put masks on and changed in the lift.”

“Please do whatever you can.”

“We also forwarded these information to the police. They will be assisting the search from now on.”

Juyeon nodded, lips set in a thin line. His burglars were smart, taking out the only necessary camera to hide their identity but to also not immediately alert the security. Juyeon felt a chill run down his spine at the thought that they could be living in the very same floor as him.

Danger was far closer than he originally thought. Juyeon really needed to be very careful.

* * *

Kevin and Changmin exchanged looks with each other when Chanhee checked his phone again and sighed deeply for the _nth_ time that day. They were hanging out in the café Jacob part-timed as a singer and barista, but Chanhee had barely said a word and looked up from the strawberry cheesecake on his plate.

“Are you going to keep doing that for the entire day?” Changmin finally blurted out in annoyance.

“Do what?” Chanhee asked, distracted. He checked his phone again, pouting and breathing out heavily through his nose when the screen didn’t display new messages.

“ _That_!” Kevin pointed out. “Are you waiting for your neighbor slash crush to text you?”

“No!”

Changmin tsk’ed, sipping on his vanilla frappe. “Why did you bother asking, Kev? We both know Chanhee’s still in that stage of denial. He might have had a chance, but oh, is your prince charming suddenly ghosting you? Maybe you’re not a princess after all, Hee.”

“He is not my prince charming!” Chanhee almost screamed. Jacob turned around, panicked at his friend’s sudden raising of voice. The three younger men waved awkwardly, trying to tell their friend that everything was okay.

“Keep it down, please; it’s not peak hours.” Jacob told them softly before going back to polishing glasses.

“Sorry, hyung.”

“Anyway,” Changmin nudged Chanhee with his elbow. “Did you and prince charming plan to meet up today or something? Why are you so stressed about his nonresponsiveness?”

Chanhee huffed, puffing his cheeks out as he checked his phone again. Still nothing. “No, nothing planned… we’ve just been texting each other a lot these days. I told you guys about that time last week when I helped him clean his apartment, right—“

“You mean, that time when he almost kissed you but you gave him a concussion instead?” Kevin’s eyebrows furrowed in amusement, thin lips pulling up into a mischievous smirk. “Yeah, you wouldn’t exactly shut up about it for days on end.”

“Shut up.” Chanhee blushed, hiding behind his hands. He let out a groan. “Juyeon’s fine, right? Maybe he’s sick or something like an emergency came up.”

“Or maybe he’s asleep, as in napping.” Changmin filed his input in. “Listen, Chanhee. I know you don’t fall in love quite as often as the normal person, a.k.a. like Kevin here—“

“HEY!”

“—but when you do fall, it’s fast and hard. Need I remind you about Younghoonie-hyung?” Changmin suddenly turned stern. “Hee, you need to take care of your heart. Yes, you and hyung decided to be just friends after that mess of a relationship, but Kev and I saw how broken you were when you guys ended. Chanhee, we don’t even know if this Juyeon guy is serious with you.”

Kevin let out a small ‘ _oof_ ’ at the side. “Damn, Min. You never mince your words, don’t you?”

“What’s the use of mincing words when the truth will hurt even more in the future if not said now? I’m not being a pesissimist, but a realist.” Changmin shrugged, going back to his frappe like he didn’t just crush Chanhee’s heart with his speech. “Don’t give me that look, Hee. I’m not telling you to stop talking to your prince charming, but I am telling you to be careful while doing it.”

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone’s ever fallen in love when they’re careful.” Kevin chuckled, swirling his matcha tea around to get to the jelly at the bottom of the cup. “That’s why love is so reckless and uncanny, right? You don’t really get to think things through when all you can think of is being with the other person and their interests instead of yours.”

“Ha! That’s called being stupid, Kev.”

Chanhee snorted. “I can’t wait to see Changmin be in love. He’s gonna eat all his words.”

“I won’t!”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Kevin muttered, rolling his eyes.

* * *

**Juyeon: hi :)**

**Chanhee: oh hey!**

**Chanhee: wyd?**

**Juyeon: i got my apartment broken in.**

**Chanhee: what??**

**Chanhee: that’s horrible!**

**Chanhee: are you hurt?**

**Juyeon: no, i’m fine. don’t worry, chan.**

**Chanhee: …**

**Chanhee: i hope you know that telling me to not worry will make me worry more.**

**Juyeon: i’m serious. please don’t worry.** **J** **i have everything under control.**

**Chanhee: if you say so.**

**Chanhee: are you up for a late dinner?**

**Juyeon: i’ll pass. i’m sleeping early, sorry chan… just really tired.**

**Chanhee: it’s ok.**

**Chanhee: i understand.**

**Juyeon: goodnight :)**

**Chanhee: sleep well, ju <3**

* * *

Juyeon threw his phone away, defeated. He did delete Chanhee’s number earlier, but he still had it memorized and found himself texting the other man on almost muscle memory. He wanted to call Chanhee, to hear his voice just so the knots in Juyeon’s shoulders would dissolve and relax, but Juyeon remembered the breaking in.

He couldn’t risk dragging Chanhee further into his mess of a life.

Juyeon decided to not stop talking to Chanhee, but just… limit their interactions. That way, Juyeon could still keep an eye on Chanhee and make sure assassins and other perpetrators won’t be coming after him, while still maintaining a distance to stop possibly implicating Chanhee.

It hurt to do so, as he craved the freedom he felt whenever he’s around Chanhee, but it had to be done.

There was no other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for continuing to support the story!
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments so I can see how to further make the story enjoyable! I enjoy reading feedbacks, and I really think those are useful :D


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juyeon gets sick and Chanhee takes care of him.

The weather had gradually become colder as the month shifted from November to December. Along with the drop in temperature was the number of texts Juyeon had been sending Chanhee. At first, Chanhee chalked it up to university finals catching up even on the very best, but a week after finals, Juyeon was still a no-show in his inbox.

He had barely seen the other man as well, as they had no classes together and Juyeon has shot down ( _albeit kindly_ ) any of Chanhee’s attempts for them to eat together.

It was raining outside and Chanhee had spent most of the day wrapping up many holiday presents for his family and friends, crinkling the wrapping paper and using too much sticky tape to make the ends meet. There were ribbons strewn at his feet, but all Chanhee could think about was Juyeon and not the cleanliness of his own apartment.

Deciding the only way he could have some peace of mind was to go and check up on Juyeon, Chanhee got up, almost tripping on the ribbons wrapped around his feet, and proceeded to chuck on some socks and a pair of house sandals so as to seem proactive.

The hallway was colder than the inside of his apartment due to lack of heating, and Chanhee shivered, trudging across the deserted hall towards Juyeon’s ( _still_ ) undecorated door. He knocked twice before pulling his phone out to text Juyeon.

* * *

**Chanhee: hi**

**Chanhee: i’m at your door**

**Chanhee: pls open up it’s so cold out here**

* * *

Not even a few moments later, Juyeon had yanked the door open and Chanhee let out a surprised gasp. Juyeon’s face was red, obviously very warm, and his bed hair up in several cowlicks. He was wrapped in a blanket, nose extremely red and sniffling.

“…you’re not okay.” Chanhee managed to choke out. He reached out with his palm to feel Juyeon’s temperature, but decided to switch to the back of his hand as he reasoned using his palm would be too intimate.

Juyeon nodded timidly, wincing at the heavy pain flooding his sinuses when he did so. Chanhee wondered how long Juyeon had been sick with the flu, realizing how high and feverish his temperature was. He closed the door behind him, leading Juyeon to the couch and asking if he ate already.

“I had soup.” was Juyeon’s small reply.

“That’s good.” Chanhee breathed out in relief. “At least you have something in your stomach. You’re sweaty, though. Juyeon, you need to take a quick shower. A cold one, to help your body temperature cool down. Can you do that?”

“Yeah.” Juyeon grunted, slowly standing up. He suddenly caught hold of Chanhee’s shoulder, wavering slightly as a wave of confusing dizziness washed over him. “ _Fuck_ , this is horrible.”

His voice was gruff and obviously tired, and it pained Chanhee to hear and see him so sick. He placed a hand over Juyeon’s on his shoulder, rubbing the smooth knuckles with his thumb in a soothing manner. “I’ll take care of you. C’mon, where’s the bathroom? Do you have a towel in there? I’ll get you warm clothes.”

Juyeon directed him to his closet and Chanhee walked Juyeon to the bathroom. Chanhee sprinted towards the closet when he heard the water start to rush inside the bathroom, picking out the softest and most comfortable looking sweatpants and tshirt. He also took out an extra blanket, replacing the sweaty one on the couch.

Chanhee then proceeded to explore the kitchen, looking for ingredients to make another meal of soup and rice, knowing how hard it was for Juyeon to swallow anything in his current state.

“ _Fuck!_ ”

“Juyeon? Are you okay?” Chanhee was immediately at the door of the bathroom, concerned.

“The water’s cold.” Juyeon sounded apologetic and strained. “My leg cramped.”

“You have to endure it, Juyeon.” Chanhee tried to encourage through the door from the other side. “Just a quick wash, hop in and soap then out. You need to get rid of the sweat and cool your temperature down so you can recover, okay?”

The water started to flow again, and Chanhee went back to the kitchen to prepare chicken soup, heart heavy with worry. _How did Juyeon get so sick in the first place?_ Chanhee wondered if he had the right to know, what with Juyeon almost ghosting him the past few weeks. Then again, Juyeon was quick to open the door for him, so maybe had a little bearing on his life.

“Chanhee..” Juyeon shivered, standing at the kitchen doorway. Some color had flooded back into his face after the shower; hair still wet and dripping and wetting the tshirt that Chanhee had set aside for him. “..It’s so cold.”

“There’s a blanket on the couch. Do you have a hair dryer?” Chanhee checked the soup he was making—he still needed a few minutes for it to boil, so he might as well do something else. “Where’s the hair dryer, Juyeon?”

“Bathroom.”

“Okay. Wait for me on the couch.”

Juyeon sat back down on the couch, though he accidentally slid down due to a sudden flash of hot pain all over his body. He panted, sniffling and willing away the sneeze making its way out of his system, not wanting to deal with the headache that comes after the release.

“Are you cold? Do you need more blankets?” Chanhee asked, returning with the hair dryer in hand. He plugged it in, kneeling beside Juyeon and turning the contraption on. The sudden whirring noise made Juyeon jump, but the calming hand treading through his hair as Chanhee worked the dryer was enough for drowsiness to come back and engulf Juyeon.

Chanhee ran his hand through Juyeon’s raven locks, marvelling at how soft his hair was. He worked out the knots and tangles, making sure the hair dryer’s temperature wasn’t too hot so as to not burn Juyeon. It was kind of intimate to Chanhee, what they were doing, but before he could dwell too much on the idea, Juyeon’s head lolled forward.

“Juyeo—oh, you fell asleep.” Chanhee turned the hair dryer off and neatly placed it on the coffee table, gently shaking Juyeon awake by the shoulder. “Wake up, the chicken soup is almost ready. You can sleep after eating.”

Surprisingly, Juyeon complied, following behind Chanhee slowly to the kitchen, where Chanhee placed the steaming hot soup into bowls. One for Juyeon and one for him, along with some painkillers that he found. He helped Juyeon to eat beside him, one hand constantly rubbing Juyeon’s arm to warm him up.

“How bad is it? How long have you been sick?” Chanhee finally asked.

Juyeon looked away, sheepish. “Two.. days? At home.. I’m pampered. Here, I don’t.. know what to do.”

“You’re a prince at home, huh?” Chanhee laughed, not noticing how Juyeon stiffened at the sudden… term applied to him. “I can’t guarantee I’ll treat you the same, Juyeon, but I’ll try my best to make you feel better. Are you done eating?”

Juyeon nodded, and Chanhee quickly placed their bowls in the sink, helping Juyeon up and towards the bedroom, where Juyeon had pointed earlier. With Juyeon snuggled up on the bed, warm with two cozy blankets piled on top of his shivering body, Chanhee wondered what he’d do next.

Luckily, Juyeon reached his hand out for him again, an almost inaudible, “Stay” leaving his chapped lips.

To be completely human and honest, who was Chanhee to ignore the plea stemming from such a broken fragment of a person?

“Okay.” He whispered, sliding into the bed. Juyeon almost instantly wrapped himself around Chanhee, laying his head on Chanhee’s chest with his arms circling the younger’s waist.

“Thank you.” Juyeon whispered back, more of his lips moving against the fabric of Chanhee’s burgundy hoodie. Chanhee wondered if Juyeon could hear and feel his racing heartbeat under the thick hoodie, thin skin, and transparent emotions. It was so bare and firm, the way they fit together in the comfort of each other’s body heat.

Chanhee wasn’t sure when, but he fell asleep too; listening to Juyeon’s soft snoring and a hand on the older man’s hair, treading with care and comfort.

He opened his eyes to see Juyeon just staring back at him, ugly feverish red gone from his cheeks.

“Hi.” Chanhee squeaked out, embarrassed.

“Hey.” Juyeon’s wake-up voice was rough and smooth and deep, making Chanhee almost lose his mind. “Thank you for taking care of me. You really didn’t have to, you know? But you did anyway, and thank you so much for that.”

“No problem, don’t think about that.” Chanhee noted that Juyeon had a mole above his right eye.

He then noticed the mole getting closer to him.

“Ju—“

“Thank you.” Juyeon whispered, leaning up to place his warm and soft lips on Chanhee’s forehead, lingering for a few more seconds and burning Chanhee’s sanity with the smallest of actions. “Thank you so much for saving me, Choi Chanhee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway through! Thank you so much for continuing to support this story. Please leave kudos and comments, I really appreciate feedback!


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Juyeon's birthday.

December came and went, and Juyeon went for a whole month without any contact from his family. Hyunjae and Sangyeon were radio silent, and media coverage didn’t care about ‘petty monarchical nonsense’, so Juyeon was in the dark. He spent Christmas alone, walking around aimlessly on the streets around his apartment block and feeding stray cats.

He could have gone to Chanhee, but he felt like something had changed between them after Chanhee treated Juyeon when he was sick. Something was just different, and while Juyeon couldn’t exactly pin point what it was, he had a thought that scared him.

_Does Chanhee feel the same?_

_How deep did those feelings go?_

_Have I been acting as a commoner for months, a simple man with simple dreams, that I have forgotten my role as prince and my duties to the crown?_

Juyeon didn’t know any answers to his questions, so he just pulled his coat tighter around him and continued to walk on, leaving deep holes in the heavy snow like bottomless pits of insecurity and anxiety his current situation was giving him.

He felt remarkably depressed though—his birthday was coming up and while spending Christmas alone for the sake of his kingdom and family didn’t bother him, Juyeon felt like he needed to celebrate his birthday with at least one person… which prompted him to think:

_Do I like Chanhee or am I simply lonely?_

Juyeon didn’t want to dwell on that. The answer, whatever it was, scared him. Both possible answers had serious implications and Juyeon didn’t like how everything seemed to crashing down on him. He was way too young for such troubles, he reasoned. College students should only worry about exams and homework, not generational wars and matters of the heart.

He passed by a cafe and, peering inside, decided to buy himself a cake on a whim. The shop was small and cozy, something Sangyeon would have liked to stay in on off-duty days. The walls were a light cream and the smell of ground coffee beans made Juyeon feel drowsy and safe.

“One strawberry cheesecake, please. Do you do lettering?” Juyeon asked the kindly cashier with the nametag _Jacob_. “I’d like for it to have a birthday greeting.”

“Yes, we do! What color would you like it to be?” Jacob smiled.

“ _Happy birthday_ would be enough, thank you.” Juyeon felt his eyes slightly water at the thought of spending his own birthday alone. He grew up surrounded with people, and suddenly he was isolated and forced to live in secrecy—life didn’t seem very fair to the young prince.

“Please give us a minute~”

Juyeon sat down on a table by the glass windows, waiting for his cake patiently. Granted, his birthday wasn’t until the next day, but Juyeon figured he would be too depressed to move from his bed when midnight hit. The least he could do for himself was to already buy a cake.

Jacob placed the cake, boxed and ready, in front of Juyeon with a soft smile. “I don’t know whose birthday it is, but please send my greetings! Thank you for trusting and buying from us.”

Juyeon smiled back. The cashier had unknowingly greeted him a happy birthday.

* * *

**Juyeon: come over?**

**Chanhee: oh wow**

**Chanhee: is this Lee Juyeon?**

**Chanhee: what have you done with him?**

**Juyeon: i have cake :D**

**Chanhee: damn**

**Chanhee: that’s all you needed to say**

**Chanhee: give me a moment**

* * *

Within five minutes, Chanhee was at Juyeon’s door, hair still messy from rolling around in bed as there were no classes and no requirements to be done yet. Juyeon thought Chanhee looked beautiful in the pink satin pajamas and a bright smile. To be fair though, Juyeon always thought Chanhee was gorgeous.

He just preferred how comfortable and small Chanhee looked in oversized pinks and a sleepy grin.

“What’s the occasion? Why is there cake?” Chanhee asked when Juyeon was taking the box out of the fridge.

“It’s my birthday.” The words easily slipped past Juyeon’s lips despite his resolute talk with himself a few minutes earlier to keep it a secret. Sighing, Juyeon ignored how Chanhee’s jaw dropped and continued, “It’s gonna be my first time celebrating away from home, so I don’t really know what to do.”

“I didn’t know! Oh, I don’t have a present!” Chanhee started panicking, covering his face with his hands in shame. “And I’m in my pajamas!”

“Your presence is enough of a gift itself, Chan. Don’t worry about it.” Juyeon smiled, taking Chanhee’s hands off the younger’s face. “Hey, why are you hiding? I just told you that you’re my present and you’re withholding yourself from me! Stop hiding your pretty face!”

“Yah, Lee Juyeon! Don’t you ever feel embarrassed with what you’re saying?” Chanhee asked, cheeks blaring red at the compliment given to him.

“No?” Juyeon sounded confused. “Why would I be embarrassed if I’m telling the truth?”

Chanhee turned a darker red at that, so Juyeon decided to let the younger be and he retrieved a bread knife to cut the cake, wondering why Chanhee was so shy around him. Maybe it was just Chanhee’s personality to appear confident but actually blush and be ultra soft when alone with Juyeon.

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t cut it yet!” Chanhee laid a hand on his wrist, snatching the knife.

“Um… cutting the cake?”

“Don’t yet, silly! You need to blow out a candle after making a wish first!”

“I don’t have a candle.” Juyeon deadpanned, feeling a little embarrassed himself. “I was too flustered to ask when I bought the cake in a café earlier. The cashier was already looking at me with pity, so I tried to get out of there as fast as I could.”

Chanhee snorted out in amusement, bringing his phone out. “Modern problems require modern solutions, Juyeon-ssi. Sit down and let the expert take over. It’s your birthday, after all.”

He pushed Juyeon to sit back down again, a leg thrown over Juyeon’s lap to keep him from standing up. Juyeon was left to sit down placidly with his hands on his lap, before deciding two can play the game and started playing with Chanhee’s calf on his thighs.

“Cut that out—“ there was no real venom in Chanhee’s voice as he continued to scroll through his phone.

“No~”

“I’m gonna kick you.”

“You won’t kick me, it’s my birthday!”

Chanhee pouted. “That’s fair. You only get away _today_ , Juyeon.” He then sat up, removing his leg and showing Juyeon his phone screen, where a candle was flickering realistically. “C’mon, make a wish now! Remember to not say it outloud, or else it won’t come true.”

“Will it work differently than blowing on a real candle?” Juyeon asked, hesitant. It looked and felt silly, but Juyeon was suprisingly willing to go through with it. “Um.. I don’t know what to wish for, Chanhee. I have a lot of things I want to happen.”

“Not everything you want could happen, but if you wish hard enough, maybe they will.” Chanhee smiled. “Your wish is taken up into the sky through the smoke from the flames you just extinguished. You’re saying goodbye to your old self, letting it burn in the flames, but your wishes stay the same and float up and up.”

“How do you always know what to say? It’s suspicious. Are you inside my mind or something?” Juyeon laughed before taking a deep breath. “Here goes.”

He closed his eyes, bearing his heart out on his sleeve. Juyeon thought he probably looked silly, closing his eyes in front of a mobile phone like that, but he knew he was with Chanhee and the younger would never judge him for something as small and pure as making a wish on his birthday.

When Juyeon opened his eyes, Chanhee was looking at him intently with the softest smile.

Chanhee was always so beautiful, Juyeon thought, blowing out the digital candle. It surprisingly went out perfectly in sync with the gush of wind from Juyeon’s lips. Chanhee placed the phone down and proceeded onto cutting the cake, talking about how he really loved strawberry cheesecakes.

“Strawberries and pink things in general. You know who Patrick Star is, right? I have an earpod case of him and a throw pillow with sequins that resemble him. He’s a pink starfish.”

Juyeon was drowning in Chanhee, all thoughts of his kingdom, his loneliness, his despairs.. all gone as he smiled and listened to Chanhee talk about the most mundane things. The younger had this power to hold him securely and gently even when they’re meters apart, and Juyeon thought he understood why.

“Chanhee,” Juyeon placed a hand on Chanhee’s waist, the other hand going to cup the younger’s cheek.

All walls built between them falling and crashing down when Chanhee’s eyes fluttered and his own hands rested on Juyeon’s arms.

“I wished for you.” Juyeon whispered, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The support from you guys is insane :D Thank you so much for loving this work as much as I enjoy writing it! Please look forward to the angst, it's almost there~
> 
> Also, thank you so much for reading. Please leave comments and kudos so I'd know how to make my writing better for you guys.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His country or Chanhee?

Chanhee stared down at his cup of warm chocolate, trying to let it sink in that _Juyeon_ was the one who made it for _him_. Granted, that would have only been friendly, but said man was also sitting beside Chanhee, asking how his day went and what they should get for dinner.

It seemed surreal to Chanhee, especially since they were both fully aware there weren’t any labels attached to whatever was going on between the two of them, but Juyeon’s warm hand on his knee somehow assured Chanhee that he _wanted_ this and wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the word.

He’s known Juyeon for almost four months then, obviously not enough time to fully get to know a person especially complex as Lee Juyeon. Chanhee suspected he had a dark backstory, but figured he’d wait until Juyeon himself melts his walls and open up before asking. Privacy was a thing, Chanhee mused. _Even couples need them_.

“You’re thinking way too much again.” Juyeon gently flicked his forehead. “What is it?”

“The hot chocolate…” Chanhee blurted out the lie almost instantly, not wanting to step over any lines clearly defined in the wet sand. “Doesn’t have marshmallows.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, _darling_. I don’t have any… I’m not especially fond of marshmallows.” Juyeon sheepishly scratched his own neck. “I can get some next time. Are they all the same or are there different flavors that I should be aware of?”

Chanhee snickered. “You called yourself a _sweetheart_ when you don’t like sweets? You’re a scam.”

“I’m a different kind of sweet.” Juyeon reasoned, lips curling up into a smile, brushing Chanhee’s hair away from his forehead. “As you may have already experienced, I’m more of an actions, _acts of service_ , _physical touch_ kind of sweet.”

“Trust me, I’m aware.” Chanhee laid his own hand above Juyeon’s on his knee. “But,” he picked the hand up and dropped it away from him. “I really want marshmallows. I want something soft to munch on when I’m drinking hot choco, Ju.”

Juyeon’s eyebrow shot up, an evil smirk taking over his cute smile. Chanhee already _knew_ that look, and it was dangerous, the way Juyeon would then lean in and Chanhee would have to push his back up against the nearest vertical surface so as to not fall over and get away from Juyeon’s predatory gaze. Chanhee _knew_ Juyeon was about to do something that could give him a heart attack.

“Would my lips be enough of a substitute, Mr. Choi?”

“What the _fuck_ , Juyeon, that’s not edible!”

“Why don’t you find out?”

Chanhee couldn’t help it—he turned beet red, head hung low because he lost the flirting game _again_. Juyeon’s power was just too immense for him to combat even with years of training playing otome games on his phone.

“ _God,_ you’re so cute, it’s unreal.” Juyeon suddenly breathed out before leaning in and kissing Chanhee.

Kissing Juyeon never became old to Chanhee, even though they probably made out more times in the past few days that Chanhee has even looked at his classes’ requirements for the whole year. It was addictive and sparked a warm feeling of contentment deep in Chanhee’s little blackhole of a heart.

His favorite kisses where the slow, lazy ones where their lips don’t really align and there’s a bit of teeth clashing and nose-bumping. Chanhee _loved_ those kisses because he could hear Juyeon’s soft chuckling like music to his ears, could feel Juyeon’s hands on his waist keeping him grounded because he’d fly away from ecstasy otherwise.

Whatever it was they were having, Chanhee was contented.

He just wanted Juyeon.

“Your hot chocolate is cold chocolate now.” Juyeon remarked, lips swollen and pink from all the biting Chanhee had admittedly not actually remembered doing a few seconds ago.

“I don’t need it anymore.” Chanhee grinned, sidling up beside the older man, burying his face into Juyeon’s neck as the other wrapped his arms around his waist. “I’m feeling pretty damn warm right here, right now.”

* * *

Juyeon, for the first time since he left Cavenia, could actually hurt his cheeks from smiling too much and too genuinely. Chanhee just had that effect on him—the younger was such a bright ball of happy and strong energy, a musical note Juyeon just couldn’t help but sing along to.

The only problem was, Juyeon still was being held back by his duties to Cavenia. Yes, he was in a self-imposed exile as an escape from the usurpers, but his subjects were waiting for him back at home. The crown under his bed was pulling him away from Chanhee and from living a normal life that Juyeon had started to crave and like.

_“I met someone.”_

_“Juyeon, that’s great!”_

_“Hyung… I like him.”_

_“Oh. Well… you know you can’t tell him yet about who you really are, right? Juyeon, I’m really for your situation right now. You spent Christmas and your birthday alone, and I didn’t manage to greet you on time because I was under monitoring. I’m so sorry, baby brother.”_

_“Hyung, please don’t apologize. I know you and Sangyeon-hyung are doing all you can.”_

_“I’ve sent you a gift, but I reckon it hasn’t arrived yet? I know you’ll love it.”_

Juyeon patiently waited for his package to arrive, unable to come up with an idea as to what his brother could have possibly sent him. It came to the point where he went to the post office himself to look for his package, laughing to himself when he realized they couldn’t deliver it because Hyunjae spelled _Lee Juyeon_ wrong with his lousy handwriting.

“I’m going to need an I.D.” the postman grunted, staring at the _Lee Joyeom_ on the box with mistrust.

“I can have my brother call and confirm it himself.”

The postman sighed. “Look, kid. Tell your brother to fix his god damn handwriting next time. Also, your brother lives in Cavenia? I’ve heard some pretty bad news regarding their politics there recently. Their prince had to leave because of some usurpers, but since Cavenia isn’t part of the Nations’ League, other countries can’t intervene.”

“The reason why Cavenia isn’t part of the League is because they pride themselves on being independent.” Juyeon couldn’t help himself from arguing. “Besides, the League isn’t exactly saintly either. The member nations have conflicts with each other ever since the League was made.”

“I hate politics, man.” The postman shrugged, giving up.

“I do too.” Juyeon gave him a sad smile, thoughts lingering on the fact that news about Cavenia’s conflict had reached those even beyond the kingdom’s walls. Granted, news was bound to travel fast because of technology, but Juyeon thought the usurpers would have had enough common sense to block all news and rumors about their wrong claim to the throne.

To Juyeon, however you see it, _he_ was the legitimate prince. Any of Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants on the throne would be an abomination and a disgrace to tradition and to the people of Cavenia.

Juyeon wanted so badly to confide in Chanhee, to tell him about the kingdom, to rant about how inadequate he felt as of the moment. Juyeon _trusted_ Chanhee, not only with his life but with his kingdom. He just knew Chanhee would never harm him, yet…

Yet he knew that by confiding in the younger, Chanhee would be inadvertently thrown into the mess of politics and history. The turmoil was bad enough for one seasoned and experienced monarch, how would Chanhee, a commoner ( _Juyeon did not mean that in a bad way_ ) and normal person, react?

The stakes were high as well. Knowledge of what was truly happening in Cavenia would implicate Chanhee into their affairs and even drag him into it. Who knows as to what extents Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants would go to get Juyeon and the crown.

Juyeon just couldn’t risk getting Chanhee hurt.

As he hugged Chanhee from the back and buried his nose into Chanhee’s hair to smell the sweet jasmine shampoo the younger uses and loves so much, Juyeon is confronted with the idea that he may have to choose between Chanhee and his kingdom. His heart or his mind.

“You’re thinking too loud.” Chanhee complained, leaning back into Juyeon’s arms as they swayed along to a nonexistent beat. “What is it?”

“Just wondering about stuff going on at home.” Juyeon admitted, pressing a kiss on the back of Chanhee’s head and tightening his arms around him. “I miss my family, Chan.”

“I’m sure you do, Ju.” Chanhee turned around in his grip, looping his own arms around Juyeon’s shoulders. “And that’s okay. That’s normal. Don’t ever be shy to tell me that. I won’t judge you for being human, you know?”

Juyeon cracked a grin, bumping their noses together. “I know. You’re just perfect that way. Even when you sleep, you look like an angel. That’s just not fair, just so you know.”

Chanhee smiled, pecking his lips softly. “You’re my angel too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is slowly building up from here on now and will get painful at times. Please continue supporting the work! 
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated!


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first heartbreak.

“Why are you still asking me? Of course, I’ll go with you!”

Chanhee was seriously just floating, cheeks hurting from smiling too much. Juyeon had just asked him to watch the lantern festival on Valentines’ Day with him, and Chanhee didn’t even pretend to hesitate or think it over. His mind was filled with scenarios of just him and Juyeon sitting on the grass, eating cotton candy, and watching pretty lanterns float all around them.

“That’s nice.” Juyeon had a relieved smile on.

“What, did you think I was going to turn you down?” Chanhee laughed, throwing his arms over Juyeon’s shoulders. Juyeon immediately caught his waist and brought him closer, brushing their noses together in an eskimo kiss. “You, Mr. Juyeon, sir, need to work on your confidence, you know?"

“I’ll have you know I’m pretty confident!”

Chanhee leaned back to shoot the other man with a disbelieving look.

“I’m serious!” Juyeon exclaimed, ears red. “I just get really flustered around you for some reason—why are you smiling at that, Choi Chanhee? Don’t you dare use my incredibly soft spot for you against me or else—“

“Or else _what_ , exactly, Juyeonie?” Chanhee cheekily pressed their bodies closer, eyes wide and looking up at Juyeon’s red face. “ _Simp._ ”

“Oh, god, did you just call me a simp?” Juyeon exhaled out, breath shaking with laughter. He let Chanhee start to sway them side to side as if in a silent slow dance, content with just the music of their breathing guiding their dance. “You know what, I’ll take that. I am a simp, but only for you, Chanhee. Only for you.”

“Whatever, simp.”

“Oh my god—“

* * *

Juyeon was content to spend the day reviewing for his upcoming classes, especially since Chanhee had said he would be busy hanging out with his friends the whole day. Juyeon totally understood, even saying that Chanhee should not follow Juyeon in not having friends.

Chanhee had whacked him in the head and told him to go touch some grass outside.

As Juyeon was setting his coffee down on the table, someone knocked on his door. Confused, Juyeon thought it was meant for a different door and just decided to stay silent as the knocker would notice their mistake soon. Unfortunately, the knocks kept coming, and a pattern emerged.

Morse code.

_H-Y-U-N-J-A-E_

Juyeon almost tripped over himself as he yanked the door open and threw himself onto his brother, who immediately hugged back just as tightly. “Hyung—“ Juyeon almost sobbed, tightening the hug. “Hyung, what are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“Inside, Juyeon. Let’s get inside first, _jesus_ , the lobby is freezing!” Hyunjae laughed, shivering.

Juyeon nodded, eagerly showing Hyunjae inside and making his brother sit on the sofa, serving him coffee from the same brewing pot earlier. Hyunjae gratefully accepted the coffee and they sat in silence for a moment, Juyeon holding his tears back.

“Your crown, Juyeon. Is it safe?” Hyunjae asked, sipping the coffee.

“Of course, hyung. It’s actually under my bed.”

“Good, no one’s ever gonna look there in fear of seeing dirty socks and underwear.”

“I don’t do that anymore!” Juyeon whined, feeling like the youngest brother again. “Hyung, how did you get here? How did you escape Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants? Isn’t the border heavilly patrolled and restricted?”

Hyunjae gave him a surprised look. “How did you know about Lee Kyungwoo?”

“Hyung, I live in a University, there are history books everywhere.” Juyeon deadpanned.

“Of course, of course. We were just foolishly hoping for you to not discover how our ancestors failed to eradicate the threat.” Hyunjae sighed, then opened his knapsack, bringing out a video camera and a laptop. “Juyeon, I’m here because Sangyeon-hyung and I have a plan to rally the people themselves to rebel. As of now in Cavenia, the opposition has been spreading lies that you’ve died. Should the people believe it, Cavenia will fully fall into the hands of Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants.

“You see this video camera, right?” Hyunjae continued. “We’re gonna be shooting propaganda videos. We need to show the people you’re still alive. Sangyeon-hyung has inserted a chip in Cavenia’s media tower so we can hi-jack it anytime, but first, we need to show you’re alive and well.”

Hyunjae suddenly levelled up the camera to Juyeon’s face. “We need a proper background, a script, your crown. I actually already booked a private venue on the fourteenth, so I suggest cancelling any plans on that day since—“

“Valentines…?”

“Juyeon, did you make plans to take this Chanhee person out on Valentines’ day?” Hyunjae let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, little brother. You should probably cancel it early so he can make alternate plans, Juyeon. You wouldn’t want to ghost him.”

Juyeon stayed silent, contemplating his life and nursing his aching heart.

“Juyeon?” Hyunjae asked softly. “You okay there, little brother?”

“Yeah, hyung. Cavenia comes first, after all.” Juyeon took a deep breath. _Steady and strong, steady and strong._ Juyeon was a ruler before he was a lovestruck college kid. He had responsibilities and he was going to do whatever it took to restore his family in control of his kingdom. “What do we need for the script, hyung?”

Granted, Juyeon would have wanted to sit on the grass with Chanhee, sharing street food and watching lanterns float up in the air. He would have wanted to kiss the younger, to hold him close amidst the rushing cold of February’s harsh breezes. Juyeon would have wanted to feel alive even for a day.

Still, he was a monarch. He had duties. He was raised to do those duties without fail, and he will not embarrass his family by not doing what was expected of him.

Besides, there was no real label between him and Chanhee anyway. They never really dared breach the topic of labels, because Juyeon was too shy and Chanhee didn’t like to ask first. Maybe it was the first mistake in their relationship—not knowing where they met and ended, not knowing which lines are fine to step over and which are straight and stark yellow for danger.

The second mistake was falling too deeply and feeling too much.

In their brief time together, Juyeon couldn’t imagine not ever having met Chanhee. At the back of his head, the entire fiasco with Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants was a blessing in disguise; a way for him to meet the actual love of his life in the form of Choi Chanhee. Yes, the fiasco caused Juyeon to be exiled from his home, but he would never have crossed paths with Chanhee had he stayed home.

Juyeon wanted it all to be a dream. He was actually in Cavenia, safe and rule unopposed by mere footnotes in a history textbook. He was going to throw a ball, and then he’d meet Chanhee, and they’d fall in love and live happily ever after. No other factors would throw their love story into a messy equation of inequality. Just a straight, simple story told with a smile on their faces.

Juyeon was partly sure Chanhee’s feelings for him were real and deep as well. It was written clearly in Chanhee’s eyes and in their sparkle as he told Juyeon about the most mundane things in life, in his smile when they kiss in the dark, in the caring touches whenever Juyeon was sad and homesick.

If it was sin to love someone in a time of such crisis, Juyeon would have gladly burned in hell.

Hyunjae had left him alone to take a warm shower, so Juyeon was staring at his phone open at a messaging app to text Chanhee that he was going to cancel their date. Still, he didn’t know what to say. What do _you_ say when you’re cancelling the biggest, most anticipated date ever yet?

He’d remembered how Chanhee’s eyes lit up at the mention of the lantern parade.

Hyunjae had said they would be busy for the upcoming days to prepare, rehearshing and filming, that Juyeon would have no chance to talk to Chanhee face to face and make up for the shitty thing he was about to do. Juyeon wanted to punch a wall or himself for being such a dick to someone so precious, but there he was, fingers shaking as he typed.

* * *

**Juyeon: hey**

**Juyeon: hee, I’m really sorry.**

**Chanhee: huh?**

**Chanhee: ju what did you do?**

**Chanhee: did you break something?**

**Juyeon: no I just**

**Juyeon: hee, I can’t go to the lantern festival.**

* * *

Juyeon held his breath at the silence that followed his message.

* * *

**Chanhee: oh**

**Chanhee: that’s ok**

**Chanhee: I won’t pry**

**Chanhee: it’s ok, don’t worry :)**

**Chanhee: I can go with Changmin and Kevin**

**Juyeon: I’m really sorry, hee.**

**Juyeon: I’ll make it up to you.**

**Juyeon: I promise.**

**Chanhee: you don’t have to.**

**Chanhee: I have to go.**

* * *

Juyeon felt his heart break at that, and he placed his phone down on the table. Left alone, Juyeon felt his tears come out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! We are so nearing the end already! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and please leave kudos and feedback! They are very much appreciated~


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two sides of a heartbreak.

_The screen turns on. Juyeon is sat on a wooden chair, dressed princely and with his crown polished, rubies glinting in the bright spotlight. He looked ethereal, untouchable, and powerful._

_“People of Cavenia. I am your prince, Lee Juyeon, descended from the noble house of Lee Jongsuk, the founder of our great kingdom. I am alive and in good health.” He took his crown off, looking straight into the camera. “Do not believe the lies by the usurpers. My brother Sangyeon is being used as a puppet king to placate you, my people!_

_“But do not worry. I will come back, I will once again rule over Cavenia. I will overthrow the usurpers and carry the crown of my ancestors, the crown of Lee Jongsuk himself, to the throne and the land will flourish again! All I ask, my subjects, is your patience and trust.”_

_The scene cuts to photos of Lee Kyungwoo’s descendants’ pictures, as a slideshow with names, and Juyeon continues to talk: “These are the ones who have taken your freedom. These are the ones responsible for the turmoil, the chaos, the unfairness in the kingdom. Be wary, people of Cavenia! Traitors are lurking in the darkest, highest places._

_“Be careful. Strong and steady.”_

_The screen turns black, and then there’s silence._

* * *

Chanhee bit his lip, not able to muster enough strength and will to even get out of bed. He has been lolling around for around 3 days, not even bothering to open the curtains at the night of the lantern festival. He had been to distressed to even take care of himself, and the painful rumbling in his stomach was enough to tell him he hadn’t eaten at all as well.

Why was he starving himself over a boy? Why was he not taking care of himself… over a boy?

_Because Juyeon isn’t just a boy._ Chanhee could feel his tears coming back up, welling in the corners of his eyes until they overflowed and rolled down his cheeks. He huddled by himself on a corner of his bed, unkempt and dishrivelled. It has only been a full week and a day since he last saw Juyeon and he was already a mess.

Chanhee has never felt so weak in his life, it was almost laughable how pathetic he was to himself. The old Chanhee, the one who hasn’t met Juyeon, would have ignored the problem and gone on alone to the festival, enjoying himself—

Why was he getting so worked up over the _stupid_ lantern festival date when he and Juyeon weren’t even officially dating each other. Chanhee was also stupid enough to _not_ ask Juyeon why he’s being ditched—maybe his pride wasn’t letting him because deep down, Chanhee has been wondering if Juyeon’s actually honest with his intentions at all, or if Chanhee was just a passing bubble to fill up the lonely crevice in Juyeon’s life.

And that once Juyeon was done with him, he’d just pop Chanhee’s bubble.

Chanhee decided, right there, after about an hour of crying, that he was going to act like nothing happened. By _nothing_ , he meant like he never fell for Juyeon, never shared hours slow dancing to their tandem breathing, never shared nights cuddled under thick covers with cold feet touching at the edge of the bed, never shared kisses that made it seem like they were just made for each other.

Chanhee decided he would pop his own bubble before Juyeon could. That way, he won’t have to hate Juyeon, only himself.

And if Chanhee cried the entire time he showered, drowning out his sobs with the water splashing against the walls of his pristine bathroom tiles, no one but himself would ever know. If he woke up from a nap because of a nightmare and the first thing that leaves his lips is, _‘Juyeon’_ , no one but the silence of his bedroom will ever know.

* * *

_“These usurpers are descendants of Lee Kyungwoo, an illegitimate son of King Hangyul. They have sworn to overthrow the Lee monarchy due to Kyungwoo not being crowned, as is his ‘birthright’. Tradition says otherwise! Only the legitimate son will be crowned and will rule.”_

_Juyeon stared into the camera with a fierce determination, like a lion threatening anything that planned to hurt its pride._

_“I will not let them hurt you, my loyal subjects.”_

* * *

The first time Juyeon lied to him, Chanhee had found out immediately because while saying _No, I’m not eating icecream at 3 am, Chanhee!_ , Juyeon had a huge smudge of chocolate on his chin. Chanhee kissed the smudge away and joined in the sudden sweet binge.

Chanhee was then staring at the leftover chocolate ice cream in his fridge, reminiscing how Juyeon would taste like sweet, sweet chocolate that Chanhee just couldn’t get enough of. His scent was warm chocolate and Chanhee would willingly _drown_ in that scent.

Without a second thought, Chanhee dumped the chocolate ice cream, container and contents, into the trash can, continuing with his oatmeal like nothing happened. He ignored the pain building up in his heart, chalking it to heartburn from acid due to him not eating anything for days.

He was lying to himself, but who would know?

When he went out to do some groceries the next day, all he could see was hearts: people being too busy and lazy to put away the Valentines’ Day décor. Chanhee had to endure several hours in agony as he sped past happy couples, cut-out cupids stuck onto walls, promo specials for couples.

He bought a bottle of wine along with his groceries, frowning the entire time, and trudged home.

* * *

_Juyeon stepped off the scene, meeting with Hyunjae behind the camera. The crown lay heavy and abandoned on the chair, and Juyeon had never been so glad to have taken it off even for just a moment._

_Hyunjae showed him the clips they had made so far. They were on schedule—advanced, even. Hyunjae would be able to edit the video announcement and broadcast it in time for Cavenia’s founding anniversary as a kingdom-nation state._

_His thoughts drifted to Chanhee. Was he doing okay? Why was he on radio silence, not even answering to Juyeon’s good mornings and ‘have you eaten’s?_

_Juyeon knew he did wrong by not immediately seeking out Chanhee in person to apologize and explain, and he did have time right before the lantern festival, but his guilt gnawed at him to the point that Juyeon just stood in front of Chanhee’s door for almost an hour without knocking. It was torture, the past few days, for Juyeon._

_Being Chanhee-starved, Juyeon was starting to wonder if existing was the same as being alive at all._

_Maybe it was an exaggeration, but Juyeon was certain that his feelings were running far deeper than he had initially thought. It was a scary thought, but Chanhee not responding to him was far scarier. He didn’t want to confide to his brother, so Juyeon suffered in silence._

_He promised, though. Juyeon made a promise to himself._

_He’ll make it up to Chanhee. One way or the other._

_“Do you have the package I sent you?” Hyunjae turned to him. “Put it on now, Juyeon. One last shot.”_

* * *

Chanhee felt terrible. He wasn’t exactly a drunkard, and he’d had a taste of alcohol many times before, but when he woke up after drowning himself in his sorrows with red wine, Chanhee felt like _shit_. He woke up in the middle of his living room, his phone still playing _Mamma Mia!_ on loop from the night before.

Grumbling, he tried to sit, slinking away from the sunray that peeked through a gap in the curtains. His head was pounding, hurting almost as much as his heart had been for the past week.

He found himself crying again, ignoring how his the music stopped to play the custom ringtone he had picked for Juyeon. _Juyeon’s calling_. Chanhee curled in on himself at the thought. _Why was he calling? What, does he want to deal the final blow?_

The ringing finally stopped after a while, and Chanhee could finally breathe.

There were pricks on his heart, but it’s still beating and Chanhee was still alive.

Or was he?

* * *

_Juyeon swept the red fabric back, marvelling at the soft touch of crimson satin on his fingers. Red was such a pretty color on him, Juyeon knew. He walked back towards the podium he and Hyunjae had built earlier, fully aware of the camera being trained on him._

_With a flourish perfected over time and countless practice, Juyeon swept the cloak back, creating a draping background of royalty behind him. He held his chin high, crown on his head, and met Hyunjae’s eyes from behind the camera._

_This was who he is._

_The crowned prince._

_This was his role, his calling._

_Yet why was Chanhee still the one on his mind?_

_“I am Lee Juyeon.” Juyeon announced, voice strong and steady. “Prince Lee Juyeon of Cavenia.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope the angst is still bearable! Just a few more and it'll be okay. 
> 
> Again, thank you so much for the hits and kudos! Please leave feedback as well, those are really appreciated!
> 
> Thank you and enjoy~


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letting Go.

Juyeon woke up at around noon a week after the video had aired on Cavenia. His mind was clear of worry after doing the task, except for his problems with Chanhee. The younger was obviously more distant than before, but at least he was talking to Juyeon again. It just lacked the usual intimacy Juyeon had been accustomed to for the last month.

Hyunjae was already wide awake as well by the time Juyeon had finished making them breakfast and showered, chomping down on mac and cheese while reading the international morning news on his phone.

“Why don’t you go visit your boyfriend?” Hyunjae asked, still scrolling. “I know you miss me, baby brother, but I also know you’ve been missing this, um, Chanhee person more. Why are you still sticking around here?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Hyunjae froze, a spoonful of mac and cheese hung mid-air as he slowly absorbed the information thrown at his face. “The boy you’ve been practically in love with… isn’t your boyfriend? What is he, then? A fiance? My, my! Little Juyeonie’s all grown up—“

“Hyung, there’s no label. We were just flirting with each other. A lot.” Juyeon sat down on a chair, feeling sad all over again. “Too much.”

“Kids these days—“

“I’m literally four months younger than you, hyung.”

“Well, are you just going to ignore your heart? I did tell you it would be hard to have a relationship, what with your life on the line, but I didn’t expect you to take it so you won’t secure this Chanhee person as well! Go talk to him! If you can’t have him now, why don’t you ask him to wait? The conflict in Cavenia won’t last forever, I promise.” Hyunjae smiled. “Go, talk to him.”

That was how Juyeon found himself in front of Chanhee’s door thirty minutes later, vibrating slightly with anxiety. At the corner of his eye, Juyeon could see Chanhee’s friends exiting the elevator. The one named Changmin was about to march right up to him, but the one named Jacob, the one who Juyeon met when he bought his cake, grabbed Changmin by the collar and dragged him towards what Juyeon presumed was Kevin’s apartment instead.

Juyeon finally knocked. Once. Twice.

“Oh. Hi.” Why did Chanhee sound disappointed. “You haven’t seen Jacob-hyung or Kevin, right?”

“Chan, can we talk? Please?”

“Sure. Come in!”

Juyeon felt like that if he just reached out, he could touch the wall and be bashed against it with how tall and strong it was. Juyeon couldn’t break those walls down all by himself, no matter how much he wanted to—Chanhee was the one holding the TNT. Juyeon only had his fists. It wasn’t a fair fight.

“I’m so sorry for not going to the lantern festival, Chanhee. Something happened—“

“What? What happened?” for a moment, Chanhee’s eyes flickered with concern before blankness took over again. He really was trying hard to be aloof and indifferent to the situation. “Only if you want to share. I’m not here to pry.”

“Chanhee, I can’t be with you right now. My life is in danger.” Juyeon went straight to the point. He gently held the younger’s shoulder. “Hee, please. I don’t want you to be in danger. Please, just… just understand for now? I really do not want to put you in danger.”

“What is it, Juyeon?” finally, Juyeon must have cracked a bit of Chanhee’s walls down. “You can tell me.”

“I can’t. The simple knowledge of it could put you in danger. It could _kill_ you, Chan. I don’t want—I can’t do that.” Juyeon breathed out, bringing Chanhee closer into a hug. The younger surprisingly hugged back just as tightly, as if he knew it would possibly be the last time he could do so. “I’m so sorry, Chan.”

Chanhee shook his head, still buried in Juyeon’s arms. “When I let go of you, I don’t know what will happen. I wish you’d tell me what it is, Ju. I really wish.”

“I can’t. I’m so sorry.”

* * *

Chanhee sighed, looking at the vast amount of kimbap he had made _again_ due to his depression-induced cooking session. Ever since Juyeon ‘formally’ ended whatever was going on between them, Chanhee has been alternating from crying to cooking, and it was taking a toll on his kitchen containers because now, he had nowhere to put the tuna kimbap he had just made.

Deciding to eat the rolls straight from the chopping board, Chanhee slumped onto a chair, eyes welling with warm tears yet again.

Juyeon was obviously going through something big, but he won’t share with Chanhee for the sake of Chanhee’s life, apparently. It seemed far-fetched as fuck, but Chanhee couldn’t find it in himself to think that Juyeon was lying at all. Maybe Juyeon was a mafia lord’s son, who knows? Certainly not Chanhee, that’s for sure.

He so badly wanted to know, feeling like the knowledge of what was going on would enable him to help in some way.

Chewing the tuna kimbap slowly, Chanhee’s thoughts drifted back to the way Juyeon had held him earlier. He was almost certain he saw a tear roll down Juyeon’s cheek, but the other man had turned away too fast for Chanhee to confirm.

When Juyeon normally hugs, he likes being the smaller person, tucking his head under Chanhee’s chin and what not and smelling his baby lotion-scented neck. He would wrap his arms around Chanhee’s middle, squeezing tightly and maybe even lifting Chanhee off the ground playfully until the younger would scream, _JUYEON PUT ME DOWN!_

But their last hug was different.

Juyeon had encircled his arms around Chanhee’s shoulders, pushing Chanhee’s head to lay on his chest. He could hear Juyeon’s heartbeat, the steady _dum dub, dum dub_ of his honesty. It was as if Juyeon was sheltering him, wrapping around Chanhee like a protective cocoon to keep him safe.

Chanhee so badly wanted to run his fingers through Juyeon’s hair just the way the older liked, making him purr like an oversized cat and snuggle up to Chanhee’s side. He so badly wanted to kiss away the worried crease in between Juyeon’s eyebrows, to knit a huge bag and place all of Juyeon’s worries inside so they would never have to deal with those again.

If only life were that easy, Chanhee thought, pushing the rest of the tuna rolls away.

He needed to do something.

Something to help Juyeon and _himself_.

* * *

“Juyeon, I told you to straighten things out, not to fully break up!” Hyunjae sounded so much more stressed than Juyeon was at the whole idea. Granted, Juyeon was way more depressed than stressed, but Hyunjae was blowing his curly hair off with the steam escaping his ears when Juyeon told him what happened.

“Hyung—“

“I can’t believe you found happiness and threw it away!”

Juyeon pursed his lips into a thin line. Was that true? Did he really just throw away the happiness in his life? Why was Hyunjae so adamant that he did? Wasn’t his role as a monarch more important than whatever was going on in his mind and heart? His nations’ interests come first, whatever the situation.

“There’s no way it could have worked out, hyung.” Juyeon sighed, staring at his slippers. _Chanhee bought these slippers._ The usual warm and soft blue fur on the slippers felt hot and suffocating, like hot needles pricking his skin. He withdrew his feet, placing them on the cold floor instead. “Chanhee would understand.”

“No, he won’t, you idiot. You didn’t even tell him what was going on!” Hyunjae was on a roll, talking loud and fast and reckless and honest. “What, is he a mind reader? Juyeon, no one can read minds, you need to tell others what’s going on or you’ll both suffer! Communicating is hard but—“

“I’m going to shower, hyung.”

“ _Yah!_ Don’t walk away from me and my egg rolls!”

Juyeon ignored how Hyunjae was screaming and headed straight to the bathroom. He didn’t actually bother showering, he just sat down on the sink and contemplated his life, thinking back to Chanhee and how he had hugged Juyeon like he never wanted to let him go.

It felt horrible, walking away from the warm hug and the only person he could possibly love as much as he did, but Juyeon had to do it.

He only wished that somewhere, in a parallel universe, he was with Chanhee. Happy, safe, carefree and free-falling into love together.

“Um… Juyeon…?”

“I’m busy, hyung!”

“You need to get out of there.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” Juyeon muttered, resting his back against the mirror. He closed his eyes, feeling like he was about to cry again, but Hyunjae was ruining the mood by knocking incessantly on the bathroom door. “Hyung, go away!”

“I’m not going away, Juyeon.” It was Chanhee’s voice. “So you better get out of there or I swear, I will knock this door down!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there! Thank you so much for the support on this fic~


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An explosion of emotions.

“What are you doing here?”

Juyeon had planned to sound cold, though he probably sounded more bewildered than anything. His brother was actually nowhere to be seen, though knowing Hyunjae, he probably invited Chanhee himself to come and talk to Juyeon. He was that nosy, _in a good way._ Sometimes.

“I just told you. We need to talk.”

“I already told you what you needed to know.”

Chanhee frowned, eyes narrowing. “Yes, but not what I _wanted_ to know.”

Juyeon had to act indifferent. He had to stay strong.

He pushed past Chanhee, careful to not touch the younger just in case he might accidentally hurt him by knocking him aside. “You don’t have to know the full extent of a situation to understand that you’re better off without me, Chanhee. Please, don’t make this harder for the both of us. You know where the door is.”

Chanhee suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing Juyeon to turn around. “Juyeon, I know you think you’re protecting me by keeping shit from me, but I swear to god, you’re doing the exact opposite! I can’t think straight, I’m always worried about you! It’s driving me insane.”

“I… personally, I think an insane Chanhee is better than a dead one—“

Juyeon was interrupted by a slap to his cheek. His jaw dropped and he held his bruised cheek, staring at Chanhee in confusion and bewilderment. Chanhee, on the other hand, was fuming and heaving slightly. His hand hurt, but his heart hurt even more at having to hurt the only person he loved.

“You’re an idiot!” Chanhee screamed.

“I know!”

“You’re not supposed to agree, you _dipshit_ —“

Juyeon suddenly grabbed Chanhee by the waist, with his other hand coming up behind Chanhee’s neck as support as he leaned in to kiss the younger like his life depended on it. Maybe it did. “I know I’m an idiot, Choi Chanhee.” Juyeon muttered, lips whispering in the midst of kissing. “I’m an idiot, a fool, but only for you. So please, for your sake, you have to let this go. There’s plenty of fish in the sea.”

“I can’t believe you just said that!” Chanhee pushed him away half-heartedly, though he still remained in Juyeon’s hold from the waist. “Juyeon, I don’t want any fish, I want _you_. Now, stop being dramatic and just tell me what’s going on or god help me I will find out on my own.”

“Don’t do that.” Juyeon was getting desperate. “Please, Chan, I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re losing me either way! What are you hiding, Juyeon?” Chanhee was close to pleading.

“Get out of here, Chanhee.” Juyeon finally decided after a few moments of silence.

“Ju—“

“I said get out!” Juyeon roared, surprising even himself at the ferocity and venom in his voice. “Get out of my apartment, Chanhee! Stop nosing into business you don’t even know the extent of! I keep telling you it’s dangerous and you’ll get hurt, but you never listen! Get out!”

Chanhee was shell-shocked at Juyeon’s sudden angry outburst. He was frozen, eyes wide with fear and hurt. He didn’t even realize he was crying until Hyunjae appeared and started yelling at Juyeon, but Chanhee has had enough yelling. He picked up his bag and ran out, trying to keep his sobbing to a minimum, at least until he reached his apartment.

His heart was hurting so much, shattering into fine dust particles with how thoroughly broken and shattered he felt. It was as if Juyeon just ripped Chanhee’s heart out of his chest, shattering his rib cage in the process, then crushed it with his bare hands, squeezing until nothing was left.

* * *

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, Juyeon?” Hyunjae screeched at his brother after Chanhee left. “You just broke his heart, Juyeon! You watched him cry!”

“I know what I just did, hyung!” Juyeon shouted back, eyes frantic and vulnerable. “I know that I just fucking destroyed Chanhee’s heart, and along with it any chance that I can talk or even see him again! I know what I did, I saved him from all the _bullshit_ that came with being mine!”

Hyunjae shook his head. “That’s not what you did, baby brother. You let your fear control you, and in doing so, you lost the one thing more precious than your crown. Juyeon, you lost your heart.”

And with that, Hyunjae turned away, leaving Juyeon in the mess of his own thoughts. Juyeon slowly sank down to the floor, feeling all life start to drain out of him as he reflected on his brother’s words. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Chanhee’s hurt eyes boring into him.

_You lost your heart._

It was getting too heavy to breathe, so Juyeon stormed out of the apartment, wading out into the snow in just his hoodie. He knew he’d regret it, but it seemed insignificant to all the regret and hurting he was feeling as of the moment as he sat down on a snowy bench.

He watched three boys play in the snow not that far ahead, throwing snowballs at each other and generally having fun. One of them spotted Juyeon looking, and he beckoned his friends over, talking all over each other the entire way to Juyeon.

“Hello, hyung! We’ve seen you before, you live in the same building as us! I’m Eric, these are Sunwoo and Hyunjun! Why do you look so sad? Do you want to play with us?” the shortest boy started to talk fast and determined. “We’re building a snowman to scare Santa Claus away—“

“Why are you trying to scare Santa away? Don’t you want presents?” Juyeon found it endearing and a little concerning that college students still believe in Santa.

Hyunjun nodded. “Where do you think he gets all those presents he gives away, hyung? Either he stole them, making him a grand thief, or he makes elves work for him. If the elves work for him only on Christmas, he’s overworking them and statistically, it’s not possible to make all the toys he gives away on Christmas eve—“

“In short, Santa is an overpowered supervillain.” Sunwoo cut Hyunjun’s rambling off. “What’s your name, hyung?”

“Juyeon.” Juyeon never had younger siblings, so he was new to interacting with the three neighbors, but soon, he found himself engaged in a snowball fight. It was him and Hyunjun against Sunwoo and Eric, a handicap since Hyunjun was injured and couldn’t run as fast as everyone else.

An hour later, shivering and covered in snow, Juyeon treated the three boys to a late afternoon snack with hot chocolate as a thank you for distracting him from his sorrows.

“You broke up with your girlfriend?” Sunwoo asked, gratefully wrapping his hands around the steaming mug of hot chocolate their waiter, Jacob, just served. “Is that why you’re so sad, Juyeon-hyung?”

“You can say that, I guess. It’s boyfriend.”

“That’s cool.” Hyunjun shrugged. “But hyung, have you tried talking it out? Maybe being honest with each other would work, you know? You seem to really love your boyfriend, so maybe there’s still a chance.”

Juyeon smiled sadly at his cup of hot chocolate. “I don’t think he’d ever want to talk to me again after I yelled at him and told him to go away.”

Eric frowned. “But did you mean that?”

“Of course not!”

“Then go tell him!” Eric almost yelled. Sunwoo and Hyunjun quickly shushed their friend down, and Eric just smiled apologetically at a spooked Jacob. Thankfully, they were the only ones in the café. “Sorry, too much sugar. Anyway!” He faced Juyeon, serious all of the sudden. “Hyung, what will you lose if you say sorry and talk to him again?”

“He’ll get hurt if he continues being with me, Eric.” Juyeon reasoned weakly.

“Hyung, no offense, but that’s _bullshit_. OW!” Sunwoo got slapped in the arm by Hyunjun when he cursed. “I mean, that’s _stupid_. Hyung, you’re enrolled in the most prestigious university in the continent, I’m sure you’ll find a way to really keep your boyfriend if you want to. I think you’re just letting fear control you.”

_Fear is a funny thing._ Juyeon remembered thinking when he was fleeing Cavenia. _It has a large shadow for such a puny thing that exists only in the mind_. Juyeon was trained to think that fear could be molded, so what was he doing?

Hyunjae was right—Juyeon _is_ stupid.

“Hyung? Where are you going?” Eric asked when Juyeon stood up.

“I’m going to talk to him.”

“Oh! Goodluck, hyungie!”

Jacob stopped Juyeon before he reached the door, frowning. “Juyeon, I know you’re talking about Chanhee. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but please, fix things between yourselves. Chanhee’s been really out of it these past few days. Please, as Chanhee’s friend, I’m asking you to be careful with him.”

“I’ll try, hyung.”

“Go get him.”

Juyeon all but ran back to the apartment building, one goal clear in his hazed mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently, I'm already writing the epilogue, so we are really ending! I hope it has been enjoyable reading this as much as it was writing it~


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is yours, right?"

Chanhee stared at the… _thing_ in front of him. It definitely looked like a crown, but why would Juyeon have a crown? It was heavy as well, rubies glinting in the dim setting sunlight from the window in Chanhee’s living room. It wasn’t a fake, that’s for sure.

_Why does Juyeon have a crown_?

Chanhee had accidentally grabbed the wrong bag on his way out from Juyeon’s outburst earlier, so he _no phone_ and absolutely no clue what to do. It would be very awkward to roll out again and ask for it, not when he bet he couldn’t even look at Juyeon without crying again.

When he had calmed down, Chanhee had dug into the bag, looking for his phone. His hand had hit something metallic and cold, and that was when he realized he got the wrong bag.

“Fuck, what to do?”

Juyeon told him not to pry, but Chanhee figured he had nothing else to lose considering he already got shouted at and abandoned by the love of his life, so he took out his laptop and hit up a search engine. He looked up _Lee Juyeon_ , but got nothing. There was a block in the searches and Chanhee wasn’t a coding genius to try and bypass it.

_That was so suspicious._ Chanhee thought, thinking hard. _What else do I know about Juyeon_?

He then came up to the conclusion that while he knew what ice cream flavor Juyeon really liked, what movies he cries to, what his shoe size was, Chanhee had virtually no idea who Juyeon was. He knew Juyeon deeply, yet he needed to also know him superficially.

_Cavenia._ Chanhee remembered Juyeon in the library, the second time they met. Juyeon had been hell bent on looking for a book about the obscure kingdom. Cavenia wasn’t very public with its happenings, with intense and insane network blocks to access their histories and websites, but Chanhee knew something was bound to leak and he should be able to find it.

_What is Juyeon’s connection to Cavenia_? Chanhee wondered. He remembered Juyeon saying he lived there… and Cavenia’s ruled by a monarchy…

An idea was starting to form in Chanhee’s mind and it was bewildering him, to say the least.

Finally, after an hour of searching, Chanhee chanced upon a gossip article with the title, _Chaos in Cavenia_ , along with the picture of what he presumed was the home castle of the monarchy. He clicked on the article and waited patiently as it checked if Chanhee was a robot or not.

* * *

**_CHAOS IN CAVENIA: THE ROYAL FAMILY USURPED?_ **

****

**_Cavenia isn’t exactly the most open country, holding true to century-old isolation practices and culture. Though they have started to open up in the past years due to a change in the generational mindset in the monarchy as a new prince was crowned, it is still very hard to come by news about this beautiful yet mysterious kingdom._ **

****

**_However, our sources have leaked some juicy and honestly terrifying news. Apparently, the monarchy has been usurped by the descendants of an illegitimate son of a king that rules centuries ago. Imagine! There is also a puppet ruler, though, according to our sources, they cannot be called ‘prince as the traditional crown of Cavenia is missing. By the way, a prince rule the kingdom; not the queen nor king._ **

****

**_The king and queen of Cavenia has apparently discreetly seeked refuge in the neighboring continent Estolia. The crowned prince, however, is nowhere to be found._ **

* * *

Chanhee felt his breathe get stuck in his throat. The crown by his leg suddenly felt very warm. There was a picture at the bottom of the article, and Chanhee wasted no time in downloading the blurry and pixelated picture of the assumed, actual crowned prince. He opened up an enhancing tool online and uploaded the picture, dread weighing heavy in his heart as the silhouette was already looking very familiar.

As he waited for the image to process into a higher quality, Chanhee focused back on the crown.

_If it’s true… then… all this time…_

A ping turned his attention to his screen. The image was done being processed and an enhanced version was waiting for him. With a deep breath, Chanhee clicked the link and waited for the image to load.

When it did, he let out a gasp.

* * *

Juyeon was about to knock on Chanhee’s door when Hyunjae suddenly appeared and dragged him back into his apartment, scolding the younger about how Juyeon shouldn’t suddenly run away and scare Hyunjae like that, not when there are actual threats to his life.

“Where did you even go?” Hyunjae demanded. “You need to buy me chicken. I was so stressed and worried!”

“Hyung, I was literally just outside the building.” Juyeon muttered, getting antsy. His confidence to apologize to Chanhee was fading with every second he didn’t do it, but he couldn’t ignore his brotber’s worries either. Besides, Hyunjae said he had news from Cavenia.

“Sangyeon-hyung said he heard the usurpers were leaving tonight. We don’t know why or how but it seems like they pin pointed where you are, Juyeon. We need to be ready.” Hyunjae was serious as he said it, all previous mirth when he was whining for chicken gone. “You know what they want to do, right?”

“Kill me.” A chill ran down Juyeon’s spine. “Yes, hyung, I’m aware.”

Hyunjae fixed him with sharp eyes. “Good. Be very careful. It would be too risky to move again, especially now when you’ve formed attachments to this place.”

Juyeon looked down. “I know. That’s why I had to push him away, hyung. I can’t let Chanhee get hurt.”

“He’s gonna get hurt either way, I hope you understand that. It’s taking all my will power not to punch the stupidity out of you right now, Juyeon.” Hyunjae smacked his own forehead instead. “ _Listen_ , baby brother, Chanhee is gonna be in danger even if you push him away because he already knows who you are. He knows where you live and what you look like.

“You _love_ him, the usurpers could take advantage of that and use him to get you! Did you not even _think_ of that? It would have been better to keep him close so you can keep an eye on him. Now, I’m not judging you for your stupid-ass life choices because I know it’s fear that’s controlling you right now and disabling you from thinking straight… but _damn_ , Juyeon, that was so stupid!”

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Juyeon asked weakly.

“I thought you were smart enough to figure that by yourself!” Hyunjae almost screamed, exasperated. “We were trained to not let fear get us and it was beyond _painful_ having to watch you fail at managing your fear. Juyeon, remember, _steady and strong._ You weren’t both with how easy you gave up at your one love.”

Hyunjae’s words hit Juyeon like a truck.

“I think you need some time alone to think?” Hyunjae coughed awkwardly, feeling shy after his own outburst. “I’ll be in the kitchen ordering chicken for dinner. Do you want anything else? Sushi? Your comfort food, rice noodles?”

“I- I.. yes, hyung.”

Hyunjae clapped his shoulder in encouragement and headed away, leaving Juyeon alone to collect himself. Come to think of it, everything was actually way much easier than Juyeon was making it out to be. Hyunjae was right—fear was driving him to act, and Juyeon was straight-up failing his family’s words so much it was almost disgraceful to all his studies as a prince.

Fear had always been Juyeon’s biggest enemy, and it almost succeeded.

He sat down on the couch, contemplating what would have happened all those past days had he not let fear control him. If he had told Chanhee straight out that he was a prince running away from murderers, if he had said that he couldn’t go to the lantern festival because he was filming a message for his nation… if he had said those things, Chanhee wouldn’t have had his heart broken.

_Wow,_ Juyeon chuckled, disheartened. _I really am an idiot._

He saw his bag on the floor, and reached for it, wanting to get his crown out and just… think of what to do next. Hyunjae said he didn’t have to choose, but somehow, Juyeon knew he still had to in the end. Better to do it then when he was alone and—

His crown was gone.

In a flit of panic, Juyeon rushed to his bag, spilling all the contents on the floor. Baby powder? A pink phone? A pack of strawberry oreos? _This is Chanhee_ ’s _…_ Juyeon realized, heart pounding. _We switched bags, holy shit!_

A knock made Juyeon get up from the floor, panicked and confused and distressed. He flung the door open, mind a haze of emotions as he stared back at Chanhee’s equally baffled face.

Chanhee was holding his crown, the gold and rubies glinting mischievously.

“This is yours, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crown scene!! 
> 
> We're really ending! I'm so happy for all the attention this fic got... I even see some people talking about it on Twitter hehe.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally.

To say Hyunjae was furious was an understatement.

He sat both Juyeon and Chanhee down on the couch, the crown sitting on the coffee table and Hyunjae standing in front of them, hands on his waist and ready to give a sermon about responsibility and _why the FUCK is the crown still in the bag, Juyeon? And you, Chanhee! Why are you carrying it like that in the hallway?? Even our youngest, Haknyeon, is better than that!_

Chanhee flinched at the yelling thrown at them, and Juyeon found himself wrapping an arm around the other man to somewhat shield him from his brother’s cussing and ranting.

Hyunjae stopped at that, cracking a grin. “Oh, so you guys are fine now? Juyeon, you’re paying for the chicken I just ordered. Also, the crown is staying in the safe, understand? You two talk or something.”

Juyeon gingerly stayed as still as he could while Chanhee hid behind his own hands, equally embarrassed. Hyunjae noticed they weren’t moving and gave them both the stink eye, forcing Juyeon to clear his throat awkwardly and _very slowly_ remove his arm from Chanhee’s shoulders.

“So..” Chanhee also cleared his throat. “I should… call you _Your Highness_ or something, right?”

“What? No! You don’t have to call me that, Hee—“

“This thing…” Chanhee continued, gesturing to the crown observing them like a hawk. “Is the reason why you’re in danger. This… _thing_ , is the reason why you’re trying to push me away. I _hate_ this thing, but at the same time, I now understand why you’re so secretive. I’m sorry for being pushy.”

“No, no, Chanhee please.” At the back of Juyeon’s mind, Chanhee’s words were pertaining to leaving Juyeon behind. He grabbed Chanhee’s hand, pleading. “No, please, let me make this right. I didn’t mean to push you away. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know. You were only trying to protect me.” Chanhee took a deep breath then faced him, determined. “But I can take care of myself, Juyeon. I now know what’s going on. I’m not letting it get in the way of me loving you, you… _god,_ I’m not allowed to call royalty an ‘idiot’ now, am I?”

Juyeon couldn’t keep his smile, he gently brushed some strands of hair away from Chanhee’s face. “You’re allowed to call me whatever you want, Hee. Only you.”

“So… we’re cool?” Chanhee asked, full of hope. “I mean, _damn it_ , Juyeon! I don’t know how to act around royalty!”

“You don’t have to. Yet, anyway. Around mom and dad, you might have to act a bit, but I’m sure they’ll like you too.” Juyeon grinned, burning with happiness. “But around me, you’re not around royalty. You’re just with Juyeon, the physics nerd who likes chocolate ice cream. Also, yes. Yes, we are very cool and I want to kiss you again, but this time…”

Chanhee was looking at him expectantly, like he already knew what Juyeon was about to do.

“Since you said you already know what’s going on… and you don’t mind… will you be… I don’t know, this humble prince’s boyfriend?” Juyeon burst out laughing at the end of his miserably bad speech. “I trained in public speaking, I promise I’m more eloquent when I’m not nervous like this.”

“What are you even nervous for?” Chanhee was also laughing, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Because I’m asking you out!”

“So… I make you nervous?” Chanhee asked, inching closer to Juyeon. He then pecked Juyeon’s cheek, a silent but meaningful way to say, _Yes, I’ll be yours. Now and until you’ll have me_. He held Juyeon’s hand, relishing in the warmth and security he missed so much during the past few days, the warmth he never thought he’d get to feel again.

Juyeon didn’t even try to hide his emotions: he straight up grabbed Chanhee and hugged him, bringing him close and inhaling his ever present baby lotion smell.

“Thank you. I really love you, Hee. God, I’m so sorry I yelled at you.”

“Don’t do it again.” Chanhee relaxed into the hug, going boneless in Juyeon’s arms. “That was scary as hell. We can do it, you know? That’s just fear taking control of you otherwise. Don’t ever try to push me away again, okay?”

* * *

That night, Hyunjae was third-wheeling so hard, he ordered chicken again for dinner just to make himself feel better. Juyeon was elated at the turn of events, but Sangyeon’s warning that usurpers were due to take him out plagued him. He considered telling Chanhee, but before he could, Hyunjae had beat him to it.

“Juyeon’s life may be in danger, by the way.” Hyunjae nonchalantly said.

Chanhee paused, then slowly, _very slowly_ , turned to Juyeon with a raised eyebrow. “I thought we agreed on telling each other everything from now on, Lee Juyeon?” he asked in an accusing, suspicious tone. “What’s this about your life being in danger?”

“I was going to tell you, but hyung beat me to it!”

“Okay, now explain, both of you!”

“Why am I getting involved? I ratted _him_ out!”

“Anyway,” Chanhee frowned. “What exactly are the details? Why is he in danger? From who?”

Juyeon sighed. “The usurpers apparently left Cavenia last night. They would never relinquish their hold on the kingdom, so it could only mean one thing. They’re out to get me and they _know_ where I am, Hee. You need to stay in your apartment and hope they know which door to go to.”

“Like hell I’m leaving you!

“Chanhee…” Juyeon rubbed his temples, feeling stressed. “C’mon, please just—”

A sudden crashing noise interrupted them and Juyeon and Hyunjae were quick to stand up, alert. Juyeon directed Chanhee to bring the crown and go to the kitchen, the farthest place from where the sound seemed to have come from. He and Hyunjae then crept up slowly towards the bedroom.

The brothers shared determined looks.

_Three… two… one—_

Juyeon kicked the door down then immediately ducked to avoid a punch coming his way from one of the men in his bedroom. All of the attackers were wearing identical black outfits and masks, almost blending in with the shadows of Juyeon’s bedroom. There were around five, massively outnumbering the brothers.

Hyunjae grabbed the man who attempted to punch his brother, tackling him away just as another man tried to attack Hyunjae as well.

Juyeon grabbed the nearest object to him—a lampshade—and swung blindly, thankfully hitting one of the attacking men. Someone grabbed his arm and Juyeon jabbed his elbow back, hitting them in the stomach and causing whoever had grabbed him to back away in pain. Juyeon followed up with an uppercut, sending the man on the floor.

“The crown!” one of the men shouted.

Hyunjae had managed to subdue the man he had tackled, and moved to get the one who just shouted, headbutting him into unconsciousness.

“There’s one left.” Juyeon panted, massaging his hurting wrist. “I counted five—hyung, call the police! Hee! Chanhee!”

He then ran to the kitchen, feeling very scared at the thought that the attackers might have already hurt Chanhee. His heart heavy with worry in his chest, Juyeon yanked the door open to the kitchen, already preparing for the worst.

What he found, however, was completely unprecedented.

Chanhee was holding a frying pan, glaring down at the floor where an unconscious man was sprawled on. Upon closer inspection, Juyeon could see some sort of dent on the pan. Chanhee must have used it to knock the attacking man down.

  
“I told you I can take care of myself.” Chanhee huffed, still holding the pan. “Your crown’s on the top shelf, by the way. I put it there so no one could reach it without needing a chair. You’re welcome, you can kiss me later.”

“Chanhee, I will _marry_ you.” Juyeon promised, laughing. “I just told hyung to call the police. Once they’ve arrived, we’ll finally let the media know of what’s going on.”

“So you won’t be hiding anymore?” Chanhee asked.

Juyeon shook his head with a smile. “It’s been almost a year, Hee. I can’t leave my people for that long. I have responsibilities. It was my plan to open up Cavenia to the rest of the world, and maybe this usurper business was just a little push to do so.”

“I’m proud of you, Ju.” Chanhee beamed, eyes watery with pride. “I would hug you, but this guy on the floor’s twitching so I have to be on guard and hit him again just in case, you know? I may need to replace your frying pan after this. It’s just not usable anymore.”

“I can’t wait for mom and dad to meet you.” Juyeon settled for kissing Chanhee’s cheek. “I’ll leave you here for a bit while I call front desk, okay?”

“Hey, Juyeon?” Chanhee called out.

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t get to say it earlier, but I love you too!”

“Fucking finally!” Hyunjae yelled, still in the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the last chapter! The epilogue will be up shortly as well. Thank you so much for the interest in this fic, it was really surprising to see the hits and kudos when I wake up 😅 I hope it was enjoyable reading this as it was for me when writing.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months later, in Cavenia.

_Chanhee took in a big gulp of the fresh air, content as he leaned against the balcony wall. Cavenia was beautiful, too beautiful to be true. The sea was crashing on the shore, providing a nice, soothing background music to the silence of the palace where Chanhee was staying as a very important guest._

_With all that happened within the past few months; their academics, the usurper thing, the emotionally draining fight to get together with Juyeon… all ended well, at least._

_“What are you doing up so early?” he heard Juyeon groan from inside the bedroom, where Chanhee imagined he’d still be hiding under the blankets. “Chan, please pull the curtains down.”_

_“C’mon, Ju~ The view is fantastic!”_

_Chanhee heard another groan, then a chuckle made him turn around. Juyeon was sitting on the bed, the warm rays of sunshine hitting his bare torso in all the right angles to make him seem like a heavenly god of some sort. Juyeon was also staring back at him, a small smile on his face._

_“You’re right. My view is fantastic right here.” Juyeon agreed, not missing the blush creeping its way onto Chanhee’s cheeks. “I wish I could have this view every day.”_

_“Not during winter.” Chanhee laughed, going back and joining him on the bed to share a simple but sweet good morning peck on the lips. “Hey. Did you sleep well?”_

_“With the actual love of my life in my arms, I had the best sleep ever.” Juyeon caught him in a hug, tackling him gently to lay on his back as Juyeon snuggled by Chanhee’s chest, inhaling in his favorite baby lotion scent. “Happy birthday, babe. Are you enjoying your present so far?”_

_“I’m so excited for the day!” Chanhee affirmed, hugging back. He started playing with Juyeon’s hair, something he knew the older loved, and continued, “I want to go to the beach! The weather is so good for a day out in the beach, you know?”_

_Juyeon looked up from where he was burying himself in Chanhee’s neck. “Can we go for lunch then? I have a speech to give in two hours. I’ll be done by lunch, though. I really can’t get out of that speech. It’s gonna be my first formal appearance ever since the chaos ended, you know.”_

_“I have front row seats for that, right?” Chanhee asked teasingly, already knowing that he was, in fact, to be seated right at the front. He planned to distract Juyeon by making faces later, just for fun. He doubted Juyeon would actually be distracted, but it was worth a try to see his boyfriend—yes,_ boyfriend—fumble in front of thousands.

_“You can have the seat beside me.” Juyeon offered. “You did keep me and the crown safe.”_

_Chanhee’s blush darkened. “No! No, I’m just a normal citizen with a frying pan at my disposal.”_

_“No, you’re_ mine _.” Juyeon corrected placing another peck on Chanhee’s lips. It was sweet and chaste. “And I’m yours.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope the ending was a satisfactory end to this fic! It's been a very weird month considering the kudos and comments and hits this fic got, so thank you so much!


End file.
